By Chaithra Reddy : The COVID-19 situation in Hyderabad has worsened quite drastically in the past few days. Even with the commendable efforts of the state government and the police force, there has been a surge in the number of positive cases in Telangana. Of the 364 cases in the state, 133 are from Hyderabad – making it the city with the largest proportion of infected individuals.
The majority of the new cases discovered this week in the city are a result of the gathering at the Markaz Nizamuddin in which a religious congregation directly defied the lockdown orders from Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. 21 individuals have now been cured and discharged from Hyderabad hospitals.
According to Anjani Kumar, Hyderabad city’s Commissioner of Police, the lockdown and social distancing orders in the city are being followed and have been effective in around 95 percent of the interior areas of the city. Kumar has committed to arresting those individuals who do not follow these orders. He has also threatened to arrest individuals and prosecute those who engage in social media malpractices and falsely report new COVID-19 cases. He says, “everyone should follow self-discipline…and maintain social distancing”.
Most notably, Hyderabad has begun to incorporate high-end technology in an attempt to ensure that order is maintained during the lockdown. Cyient, a Hyderabad based software and engineering company, has supplied the Hyderabad police with 2 surveillance drones to assist the police force in monitoring highly populated areas in the city. The drones use surveillance cameras and thermal imaging to identify any areas where there is a concentrated gathering of the city’s residents.