Ten more staffers in the Andhra Pradesh Secretariat tested positive for the coronavirus, taking the total number of those affected in various offices to 25 on Thursday. Previously, 15 staffers in the Secretariat and two in the Assembly complex had tested positive for coronavirus.

In the Andhra Pradesh Legislature, situated on the same premises, two employees tested positive for the virus, officials said.

Secretariat employees in departments like Animal Husbandry and Water Resources were found infected with coronavirus in the samples tested at the Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) in Guntur.

Following this, the Special Chief Secretaries and Secretaries of the departments concerned asked their staff to go home as a precautionary measure. Most of the blocks in the Secretariat wore a deserted look as the COVID-19 scare hit once again. Previously, 15 staffers in the Secretariat and two in the Assembly complex had tested positive for coronavirus.

In another development, around 26 officers and staff working at the High Court in Amaravati have also tested positive until now, since the COVID-19 pandemic began. They are currently under medical supervision, according to reports.

Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 cases in Andhra Pradesh crossed 16,000 with 845 people testing positive during a 24-hour period ending on Thursday, health officials said. The state also reported five fatalities, pushing the death toll to 198.

The health department said 281 people were discharged from hospitals, taking the number of recoveries to 7,313. At present, 8,586 patients are undergoing treatment — 6,673 in hospitals and 1,913 in COVID care centres.

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