Vijayawada: Several villages in Andhra Pradesh have slammed their doors shut on people coming back from urban areas to spend the lockdown period with their families. They fear that the Covid-19 scourge would spread among them.
The residents of villages and colonies have placed branches of trees, thorny bushes and vehicles across roads to block the entry of “outsiders” in Krishna, Guntur, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam, Anantapur districts in the state.
In Jagannadhapuram and Jujjuru villages of Veerulapadu mandal of Krishna district, “outsiders” were greeted with tree branches and trunks on the roads as barricades.
The villagers argued that the coronavirus was spreading through foreign returnees and “outsiders” hence they decided to close the roads. They said that the government should not allow foreign returnees to go home even if they tested negative for Covid-19.
“The pandemic will remain dormant for two weeks before it shows its effect. The government should put foreign returnees in isolation wards for 14 days or 28 days of observations so that the virus can be contained,” they contended.
The people of Palapadu in Narasaraopet mandal and Tulasi Nagar of Bapatla, Marellava-ripalem of Nuzendla mandal in Guntur district also closed their doors on “outsiders”.
The residents of the 9th ward of Mangalagiri parked their vehicles on the road as a way to block “outsiders”. They argued that they had to take the blockade step to prevent people from roaming the streets and outsiders coming into their area in violation of lockdown imposed by the Centre.
Marupalli and other villages in Kurupam and Jiyyammavalasa mandals of Vizianagaram district seem to have taken lockdown a bit seriously. They have set up check-posts and started collecting fines on violators.
Srinivasanagar and Venkupalem of Anakapalli of Visakhapatnam district have also adopted these methods to save their people from getting infected with coronavirus.
The villagers of Yerramanchi in Penugonda mandal of Anantapur district restricted the entry of “outsiders”.
The Kia Motors where a large number of foreigners live is situated near the village. The villagers have decided to shut the door on “outsiders” including foreign nationals working in the Kia Motors.
