Concerned over the spread of COVID-19 in rural areas, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced extension of 'corona curfew' in the state till May 15 and urged people to follow the norms strictly.
With weekend curfews already in place in the state, most public activities will remain restricted till morning of May 17.
The chief minister, while calling marriage ceremonies as 'super spreaders' called upon the public representatives to work for local consensus towards deferring all marriages scheduled in the month of May. “Marriages are about selection of life partners. If there is no life, what is the point of such a marriage. Such ceremonies now will only put the life of your dear ones at risk,” Chouhan said.
On Wednesday, 40 out of 60 persons who had attended a marriage ceremony in Niwari district had tested positive. Sources said that a youth, despite testing positive, had participated in the ceremony. The Luharguwa village in Prithvipur, where the incident occurred, has been declared as a red zone by the district collector and put under total lockdown, sources said.
Speaking at a meeting on Thursday, Chouhan said that the spread of COVID-19 in rural areas has to be arrested, else the situation can turn alarming. He urged the MLAs to take the lead to set up assembly constituency-level crisis management groups. MPs and in-charge ministers of the districts should take care of the rural areas by forming local groups with help of political workers, NGOs and other social organisations along with administrative set-up, he said. The chief minister also called for doing away with political differences and coming together to fight the menace.
The MP government has launched phase two of the 'Kill Corona' campaign to identify and treat cases door-to-door.
The CM said in villages where positive cases have been found, the MNREGS (rural employment guarantee) works should be stopped till May 15, while in other places they could continue. Free food grains will be provided to the eligible people, he said. Chouhan also called upon people, especially in rural areas, not to hide their illness and seek medical attention. He further directed strict monitoring of isolation of positive patients in the rural areas.
The chief minister appreciated the support of people, which he said, had led the number of active cases in the state to down along with the positivity rate (from around 25 per cent about 10 days ago to 18.2 per cent now). On Thursday, the state reported 12,421 new cases and 86 deaths. About 41 out of 52 districts are reporting over 100 positive cases every day.
