If Telangana government has its way, all the theatres and multiplexes in Telangana, particularly in Hyderabad and Secunderabad, will be closed for a short period on account of Coronavirus scare.
Apart from theatres, the Telangana government might order closure of educational institutions and commercial malls, where there is a possibility of largescale congregation of people. A decision will be taken at the cabinet meeting later in the evening.
In the morning, producers and distributors of Telugu film industry met at the Telangana Film Chambers on Saturday to take stock of the situation on account of Coronavirus scare across the state.
The meeting felt that the theatres are already facing poor turnout of crowds because of the Coronavirus scare and it is better not to release new films for now.
“We are waiting for a decision from the government. We are prepared to close down the cinema halls for a few days, if there is any direction from the government,” Film chamber president M Murali Mohan said.
Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao made a statement in the assembly, sounding a high alert in the state in the wake of detection of a fresh Coronavirus positive case in Hyderabad.
He said while the 24-year old software engineer having travel history to Dubai, the first Coronavirus positive case in the state, had been discharged on Friday night after undergoing treatment for the mandatory 14-day period at Gandhi Hospital, there was a fresh case on Saturday morning.
“A person who returned from Italy with symptoms of cold and fever was admitted to Gandhi Hospital, where he was tested positive for the virus and has been kept in isolation. Two more patients with Coronavirus symptoms have also been admitted to the isolation ward of the hospital and their samples have been sent to Pune for testing,” KCR said.
The chief minister hinted that the ongoing budget session, which is originally scheduled to continue till March 20, might be cut short in the wake of the Coronavirus scare.