AP government to focus on psychological issues people may face during lockdown

Amaravati: Parallel to its efforts to tackle the threat of coronavirus through lockdown and various other measures, the Andhra Pradesh government is now focusing on addressing the psychological concerns that may arise due to people staying at home for days.

As a first step, chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has asked health authorities to keep adequate stocks of medicines readily available to treat people, down with psychological duress the lockdown could possibly cause.

Industries and Information Technology minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy raised the issue of possible psychological disorders people could face as they remain confined to their homes for several days.

"This is a serious issue we should look at," Goutham Reddy said at the Cabinet meeting on Friday.

Financial concerns could be one of the major factors that might cause psychological stress, particularly among daily wage earners and even the middle class, the Industries minister was said to have told the Cabinet.

The chief minister concurred with Goutham's views and asked the health authorities to keep a watch on such cases, a minister said after the Cabinet meeting.

The chief minister also asked the authorities to keep stocks of required medicines to treat patients with psychic stress, the minister added.

The nationwide lockdown, mainly intended to check the spread of coronavirus by keeping people confined to their homes, will continue till mid-April.