After its highest single-day spike of 914 COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, coronavirus infections in Madhya Pradesh surged past the 30,000-mark on Wednesday. According to the data released by the state health department, the state has 30,134 COVID-19 cases as on Wednesday evening and the death toll stands at 844, with 14 more deaths reported in the past 24 hours.
The number of active cases stands at 8,356, while 20, 934 persons have been discharged after getting cured, the data shows.
The worrying part is that the last 10,000 cases in Madhya Pradesh have been reported in a mere 13 days as the state crossed the 20,000 mark on July 16.
After the first four cases were reported in Madhya Pradesh on March 20, the first 10,000 cases were recorded in as many as 82 days (by June 10). After the lockdown was relaxed in May-end, it took only 35 days to record the next 10,000 cases (by July 16).
However, with more relaxations leading to normal commercial activities and heightened political activities in the month of July, the third 10,000 COVID-19 cases have come in a mere 13 days.
Till now, in the month of July, total 16,721 cases have been reported, which is more than (123 per cent) of all the cases reported in the state till June end (13, 593). Also, the cases in July make up for 55 per cent of all the cases reported till now, a quick analysis of the data shows.
Capital Bhopal continues to report the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the state since the past about 10 days. Despite a 10-day total lockdown imposed from July 25, Bhopal has reported 895 cases in the past five days. Among those who have tested positive in the capital are several senior leaders of ruling BJP, ministers, MLAs and their family members.
However, the state government has decided not to extend the lockdown in Bhopal beyond August 3 as of now. After a review meeting on Wednesday, Home Minister Narottam Mishra said that lockdown was not the only option, and the state government is looking at alternatives to manage the pandemic.
Indore, meanwhile, continues to have the highest cases in the state, at 7,132 as on Wednesday evening. The district has reported the highest number of deaths, 308 fatalities, too.
BJP state chief, another minister infected
On Wednesday, BJP state president Vishnu Dutt Sharma and another ministerial colleague of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tested positive for COVID-19. This takes the number of infected ministers to three, apart from the chief minister himself who is admitted to Chirayu Hospital in Bhopal since July 25 after testing positive. The latest cabinet member to have been infected is Minister of State for Backward Class and Minorities’ Welfare Ramkhelavan Patel.
BJP state president Sharma’s third report came positive on Wednesday and he has quarantined himself on the advice of doctors. Sharma’s two previous reports had come negative. He shared his positive status on social media and asked all the party workers who had come into contact with him to get themselves tested and appealed to all to follow the norms of wearing masks and maintaining social distancing.
Sharma, along with Chouhan, BJP state organising general secretary Suhas Bhagat and State Cooperatives Minister Arvind Bhadoria had visited Lucknow in a state plane to attend the funeral of former governor of Madhya Pradesh Lalji Tandon on July 21. All four of them have tested positive now.
‘Reward for anyone who can make home minister follow norms’
Meanwhile, exasperated at the continuing violation of COVID-19 norms by Home Minister Narottam Mishra, the Congress on Wednesday announced a reward of Rs 11,000 to anyone who could make Mishra wear a mask and follow the physical distancing norms. Congress spokesman Narendra Saluja said that the party demands that until a case is not registered against the home minister for violation of norms, no cases should be registered against common citizens too on this count. Mishra is always seen without a mask and mingling with crowds despite three of his colleagues and the chief minister testing positive for COVID-19. Even during the Wednesday evening briefing, the minister was without a mask, while his colleague, Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang, wore one.
