Telangana COVID-19: 94 Saudi Arabia Returnees Test Positive, Tally Crosses 2K

HYDERABAD: A staggering 94 people out of those who returned to Telangana from Saudi Arabia have tested positive for Covid-19 while the state on Wednesday also reported six more deaths, taking the toll to 63.

According to media reports, these 94 evacuees from Saudi Arabia were among 148 new Covid-19 positive cases to be reported on Wednesday as Telangana recorded the highest ever single-day jump, taking the state's count of coronavirus cases to 2,139.

However, the state's Health Department has so far not divulged any information about evacuees from Saudi Arabia testing positive.

Among the total cases reported on Wednesday, 19 were of migrants whose test results showed positive for the virus.

A large number of migrants are returning to home state Telangana from various other states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Bihar.

As of now, a total of 1,321 people have been successfully cured and discharged from various hospitals while the number of active cases stands at 714.

Meanwhile, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao  has permitted all kinds of shops to re-open and resume their businesses including in Hyderabad to avoid over-crowding.

In a press release late on Wednesday night, the state government also exempted the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) buses from the ongoing night curfew in the state. Effectively, the buses can ply even during the evenings until their stipulated time.

India has reported 6,566 new novel coronavirus cases and 194 deaths in the past 24 hours. The total number of cases is now at 1,58,333, the number of deaths linked to the infectious virus is 4,531 and the number of people who have recovered is 67,692, according to data from the Union Health Ministry on Thursday morning.