As COVID-19 cases continue to burgeon worryingly in Madhya Pradesh, affecting the bigger cities more, the district administration in Bhopal clamped 'corona curfew' in the capital from 9.00pm of April 12 to 6.00 on April 19.
The 'corona curfew', different from lockdown according to the authorities in the sense that several exemptions have been made, was announced by medical education minister Vishvas Sarang, who is also the local MLA, following a Bhopal district crisis committee meeting on Monday afternoon.
Medicine, milk and vegetable/fruits shops/carts (except markets) will remain open during the curfew, but groceries will be delivered only at home, a notification issued by Bhopal district collector Avinash Lavania said. Banks and petrol pumps will also remain open and local transport/commute for emergency workers and services will also continue. Hospitals, nursing homes, medical service centres, public distribution system shops etc will remain open. State and central government employees will be able to commute along with emergency services such as ambulance, fire brigade, milk distribution, domestic gas, telecommunication services, electricity supply, home delivery chain and others.
Students who have to appear in exams, passengers to and from bus-stands, railway stations and airports, those involved in newspaper distribution chain and accredited journalists have also been allowed to commute.
Cases burgeon
The clampdown comes as COVID-19 cases in the state burgeoned to 3,44,634 with addition of 6,489 cases during the past 24 hours—the highest single day spike. Also, 37 deaths were reported in this duration. The death toll in the state stands at 4,221 as of Monday evening. In Bhopal, 824 cases and three deaths were reported during the past 24 hours taking the total cases and deaths to 58,951 and 649 respectively, which is also the highest single day spike for the state.
The positivity rate in the state has gone up to 16 per cent. Indore, where ‘corona curfew’ is already imposed till April 19, reported a record 923 cases while Gwalior and Jabalpur reported 497 and 469 cases respectively during the past 24 hours. Several cities and towns in the state are under ‘corona curfew’ for varying periods of time already.
In Bhopal, more than 300 police personnel including officials have tested positive, forcing the police administration to issue strict guidelines including setting up of glass chambers for public dealing.
The state BJP headquarters was closed to outsiders for 10 days after six employees and a former organising secretary Makhan Singh tested positive.
Hospital beds to be increased: CM
Earlier in the day, while talking to the media persons, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that supply of remdesivir injections are being ensured for hospitals. Private hospitals will be provided more space to increase the number of beds and an order for 2000 oxygen concentrator machines has already been placed to ramp up oxygen supply. He also said that COVID care centres are being opened in all districts.
He mentioned that ministers have been given charge of districts to coordinate and monitor prevention and control activities. He appealed to people to 'lock down' their faces and feet and remain at home except for emergency work, so that the need to lock down cities and towns did not arise.
