1,005 Covid cases in Andhra, highest single day rise since late November

: Andhra Pradesh reported 1,005

fresh cases of coronavirus on Sunday, the highest single-day rise after November 26, pushing the gross up to 8,98,815.

The state now has 5,394 active cases, the highest number since the 5,259 on December 9.

A health department bulletin said 324 patients had recovered and two more succumbed to the infection in the state in 24 hours ending 9 am on Sunday.

The total recoveries have now touched 8,86,216 and the toll was 7,205, it said.

Guntur district reported the highest number of 225 fresh cases in a day, followed by Chittoor 184, Visakhapatnam 167 and Krishna 135.

SPS Nellore added 84 while the remaining eight districts saw the addition of less than 50 fresh cases each.

Krishna and Chittoor districts reported one fresh COVID- 19 fatality each in a day.

The overall infection positivity rate in the state now stood at six per cent after 1.49 crore tests were completed.

Meanwhile, police launched an enforcement drive across the state to make people wear facial masks.

Commissioners and district Superintendents of Police personally supervised the drive where, apart from counselling people, the police also imposed fines on those not wearing facial masks.

Also, the police distributed masks to people and advised them to take precautions to check the spread of the contagion in view of the spurt in the number of cases in the state.

They also distributed sanitisers in some places.

In all, 18,565 people were penalized for a sum of Rs 17,33,785 on Saturday alone, police said.

State Director General of Police D G Sawang said in a statement on Sunday that citizens should observe Covid- Appropriate Behaviour and take all precautions to prevent the spread of the infection.

He asked managements of educational institutions to take all steps to ensure that all COVID-19 control measures, including physical distancing, were followed scrupulously.

The DGP requested people not to come out of their homes unless there was an emergency.

Sawang suggested that parties and functions be put off, if possible, or held with a minimum number of persons.