With the highest single day spike of 2,483 cases, the COVID-19 tally crossed the 90,000 mark in Madhya Pradesh to end up at 90,730 on Monday evening. As many as 26,765 or almost 30 per cent of these cases have been reported in the first two weeks of September.
In these two weeks, 397 deaths were also reported in the state, taking the toll to 1,791. The number of active cases has surged once again over 20,000 mark and was at 21,228 on Monday evening.
With 23 out of 52 districts reporting over 1,000 cases and 35 districts having death toll in double figures, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said during a review meeting on Monday that people should understand the fatality of the disease and feel scared. The chief minister said that the pandemic was getting more serious from global to state level and being aware and alert was very important, a government communique said.
This statement is quite opposite to Chouhan's earlier statements about the pandemic where he would compare the infection to normal cold and cough. He would also say that there was no need to be afraid of the pandemic and following preventive measures was enough.
However on Monday, the chief minister said that the government was making best efforts to control and manage the disease and doctors and paramedical staff were also engaged in the work with all seriousness. But there is no medicine available and it is likely to take time.
“Therefore the society will have to become more serious about the situation. The social, religious, trading and non-government organisations will have to become active and motivate people to adopt preventive measures. An atmosphere has to be created where people understand that preventive protocols are necessary for one's safety and is not some compulsion,” Chouhan said.
He also said that a long-term strategy is needed in view of the situation getting graver and the compulsion of not preventing economic activities for a long duration. He asked the chief secretary Iqbal Singh Bains to form a sub-group to draw this strategy by forging unanimity between various sections of the society.
Indore reports over 4,000 cases in a fortnight
The four big cities of Madhya Pradesh continue to be the biggest contributors in terms of both cases and deaths. In the past two weeks, Indore reported 4,169 cases and 70 deaths to take the total to 17,161 and 463 respectively on Monday evening. Bhopal tally is at 13,431 and death toll at 329, of which 2,935 cases and 44 deaths were reported in the past two weeks.
Gwalior with 2,520 cases and 38 deaths since September 1, now has a total of 7,825 cases and 86 deaths while Jabalpur with 2,336 cases and 33 deaths has a total of 6,441 cases and 113 deaths.
