Jaipur: Bhilwara, the district worst affected by coronavirus, will be under a strict curfew and shutdown from April 3-13. The city has been under a curfew ever since doctors and other staff at a private city hospital along with patients they came in contact with tested positive. In total, 26 persons have tested positive in Bhilwara and two died. All passes, including media, will be suspended during this period.
According to Bhilwara District Collector Rajendra Prasad Bhatt, “The first phase of survey is over and we have been very successful. The number of cases is not increasing. Of the 26 people positive in Bhilwara, 8 are now positive. All need to stay in discipline to win this war against COVID-19.”
He said barricading has been done and police has been given clear directions to take strict action against people coming out without a medical emergency or threat to life. A timetable has been drawn to supply food and other essentials to colonies on a rotational basis.
“People can take what they require from the vans that we will be sending out. But they need to observe social distancing. If they do not follow social distancing, then the van will leave and they will get supplies only when it comes the next time according to the timetable,” he said.
Bhatt said that a control room would be functional round the clock. A list of daily wagers has been compiled and they will get food at home. Dry rations will be distributed in “kachchi basti” areas.
Inter-state borders have been sealed last night after directions from the Ministry of Home. Rajasthan ACS, Home, Rajeev Swaroop issued a statement that people will be stopped at the border and put in quarantine centres for the next 14 days. For this, barricades were placed on the highways at border check points by the police.
However, people returning to Banswara and Dungarpur from Gujarat found a way to get across the barricades and could be seen travelling across hills and mountains to reach their villages. Police force was deployed on these paths too, but the vastness of areas did not make it a very successful exercise.
Three more people tested positive in Rajasthan on Monday, taking the tally up to 62. Apart from this, 7 evacuees from Iran have also tested positive. This takes the cumulative number for the state to 69.
Of the three cases, a 40-year-old male is from Bhilwara. He was an OPD patient at Bangar Hospital from where the infection spread. The other two are from Jaipur. The 70-year-old female and 21-year-old male are the mother and son of the person from Ramganj who tested positive.
Health minister Dr Raghu Sharma said, “3.26 crore people from over 78 lakh families have been screened across Rajasthan. Over 28 lakh persons have come for testing to OPDs. Of the 62 persons who have tested positive, 14 are now corona negative. Of them, 4 have been discharged and 10 are still under observation in quarantine.”
As part of its preparedness efforts, the state government has taken all private hospitals of Jaipur under its control. They have been told to be prepared to hand over the hospitals to the government at a two-hour notice.
