Following the footsteps of Rajasthan and Maharashtra, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday announced complete lockdown in urban and semi-urban areas of the state amidst the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
Kumar chaired a high-level meeting of officers at his residence and appealed the people to remain indoors till March 31 in view of the lockdown.
He said, “A death has been registered in the state and some positive cases of coronavirus have been found. Hence, we have decided to suspend all activities till March 31.”
District headquarters, sub-divisional and block headquarters and municipal towns will remain shut for the common man. Only essential services and media activities would be allowed on the roads.
All shops, commercial establishments, private offices, government offices, educational institutions would remain closed during the lockdown period. All private and public transport buses have been suspended. There will be no movement of buses, trains and air services in Bihar, the CM announced.
The government had closed down all 4500 temples run under the control of Bihar state religious trusts board on Saturday.
Nitish Kumar in his appeal said coronavirus was a threat to the human race itself and people should assist the government in preventing spread of infections.
Earlier, Railway Police cordoned off the Mumbai-Patna express at Danapur railway station immediately after arrival. All passengers were taken to the neighbouring Railway School grounds where doctors and para medical staff examined them. Twenty four of them were suspected to be infected and were taken to the Patna Medical College Hospital, where 23 other suspects were already admitted in isolation wards.
Patna district magistrate, K Ravi ordered sealing off three km radius of Anisabad area in Western Patna where a positive case of coronavirus was found. In the area, a woman who recently returned from Italy, tested positive for coronavirus.
Dr Prabhat Kumar Singh, superintendent of Indian Institute of Medical Sciences, on Sunday said, “Mohammad Saif Ali died due to the virus in the hospital. He had returned from Qatar recently. His body was sent to his native place in Munger where administration asked the entire village to undergo isolation.”
