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RT-PCR test compulsory for people travelling to Madhya Pradesh from Maharashtra
The decision was taken during a high-level Covid review meeting held on Monday after a new wave of Covid-19 cases was reported from Indore.
As the Covid-19 cases started rising in Madhya Pradesh again, the state government on Monday said RT-PCR test will be mandatory for entry of people from Maharashtra by road, said an officer of the state home department.
The decision was taken during a high-level Covid review meeting held on Monday after a new wave of Covid-19 cases was reported from Indore with an increase of cases by almost 86 per cent in the past two weeks.
Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan asked the district collectors of regions bordering Maharashtra to arrange for screening and tests at the borders.
“The CM also asked the district officials to hold crises management meetings to decide on organising fairs on the occasion of Mahashivratri as a large number of people from Maharashtra come to different districts in Madhya Pradesh to attend these fairs,” said Rajesh Rajoura, additional chief secretary, home department.
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Indore, which had emerged as a Covid-19 hotspot in April and September in the country and touched the positivity rate to 12 to 13 per cent, saw a decline in the number of cases in the past 40 days. Ever since the Covid-19 outbreak, the lowest number of cases in a day i.e., 19, was reported on February 8 this year. But the city has seen a sudden spurt in cases in the past four days. On Sunday, 135 cases were reported in Indore, said a health official.
The Covid-19 cases in state capital Bhopal are said to be stable with 50-70 cases being reported per day.
Public health expert Amulya Nidhi said, “The number of patients is still the same but the health department reduced the number of tests to about 12,000 in a day from 1.20 lakh tests per day. The situation is still alarming. The state government reduced the number of tests to pat its own back for successfully containing the spread.”
“The number of cases increased in Indore as more people go for the test,” he added.
Health minister Dr Prabhuram Chaudhary said, “The state government showed concern over this and instructed health and district authorities to pay special attention to control the situation over there. The number of tests has not decreased. The tests are being conducted according to the number of people visiting the test centres.”
As per the state health bulletin released by the health department on Sunday evening, the tally of Covid-19 patients in the state rose to 2,59,427. As many as 3,854 patients have died so far while 2,53,522 patients have recovered from the disease or have been discharged from hospitals across the state.
