E-Paper
As alarm goes off in Indore, officials ask people to follow lockdown rules
Administrative authorities are on their toes in order to ensure strict compliance of social distancing and prevent unnecessary movement of people and gathering, officials said.
In Indore, one of the worst-affected cities in the country as far as Covid-19 positive cases are concerned, 151 people have been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes the deadly infection, till Tuesday night. Of them, as many as 106, or 70%, belong to the 21-55 age bracket , according to officials.
Administrative authorities are on their toes in order to ensure strict compliance of social distancing and prevent unnecessary movement of people and gatherings, officials said.
“We’re at a stage where we can’t afford to give any kind of relaxation to the people. They (people) must understand that Covid-19 can infect anyone who doesn’t follow the safety norms as being advised by the government and the administration. We’re taking all possible measures to contain it effectively,” said Manish Singh, district collector, Indore.
Seventy per cent of the patients in the city are men and 30% are women, the officials said. Of the first nine deaths in the city, six were aged between 33 and 50 years. The rest were 53, 65 and 80 years, respectively.
According to central figures as of Monday evening, men accounted for 73% of the Covid-19 positive cases in India in comparison with the 24% infection rate in women. The Centre put the total number of cases at 4,067 as of that day. Forty-seven per cent of the total cases in India involved people who were aged below 40 years, 34% of the patients were between 40 and 60 years, and 19% of cases pertained to those above 60 years.
“The number of patients starts diminishing gradually, as we go either above 60 or below 16 years,” said a Madhya Pradesh health department official, requesting anonymity. Analysis suggests that 80% of all cases in Indore have been reported from densely populated localities such as Ranipura, Chandan Nagar, Daudi Nagar, Khajrana, Daulatganj, Hathipala, Azad Nagar, Tatt Patti Bakhal, Tanjim Nagar and a few other neighbourhoods, he said.
Data showed that 18 Covid-19 positive cases were traced to Tatt Patti Bakhal locality, where a team of doctors was attacked last week after they insisted on taking an elderly person to a hospital for her medical examination.
“We’ve observed that people, who followed social distancing and home isolation, haven’t been infected. The spike in Covid-19 positive cases in densely-populated colonies can be attributed to the practical problems faced by the locals to be self-disciplined,” Pravin Jadia, chief medical and health officer (CMHO), Indore, said.
Ulhas Mahajan, a retired doctor of the district hospital in Indore, said: “The alarming increase in the Covid-19 positive cases has also got to do with the reckless behaviour of the people, as they believe that only the young and old are more prone to be infected. Besides, the ongoing 21-day nationwide lockdown, which was enforced on March 25 to contain the spread of the viral outbreak, was initially violated with impunity.”
