Coronavirus outbreak: Telangana closes schools, public places till March 31

Telangana government has declared the closure of all educational institutions, parks, bars and clubs besides banning all types of public gatherings until March 31, as a precautionary measure against the possible spread of coronavirus.

The government has asked the operators of all marriage halls to not rent out their premises for the conduct of marriage functions after March 31 while allowing only those marriages that would be performed within this month.

"I appeal to the people of Telangana not to get panic in the wake of these measures, which are purely being taken to prevent the possible contagion of coronavirus. The whole purpose of these steps is to avoid the mass gathering of people that could pose the threat of coronavirus spreading from one person to other person. So far the state have two confirmed cases and a total of 83 cases across the country of 130 billion people," chief minister K Chandrasekhara Rao said while briefing the cabinet decisions to media with regard to the coronavirus pandemic.

Chief minister Rao also appealed to the families who have made arrangements to perform marriage functions within this month to confine the number of participants to 200 people.

Despite the closure  of education institutions, the ongoing public examinations of SSC and Intermediate courses etc., will be completed without any interruption while only those candidates, who have been appearing for the exams will be allowed to stay in the social welfare hostels, according to the chief minister.

The state cabinet has decided to keep Rs 500 crore at the disposal of the government chief secretary for any emergency spending required in containing the virus.

About 1020 beds with isolation wards apart from 321 ICU beds along with 240 ventilators were set up for the exclusive treatment of caronavirus patients across the state, according to the chief minister.

However, public transport facilities as well as shops and malls will continue to run normally during this period so as not to cause any inconvenience to the people. The chief minister warned that rumor mongers and those claiming any fresh cases without the official confirmation will be taken to task.

Even before the state government announced these steps, the exhibitors association has declared the closure of all the cinema halls till March 31 in the state.