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Madhya Pradesh tally crosses 1000, 226 new cases

The state reported 226 new Covid-19 cases since Wednesday, which took the tally of such patients in Madhya Pradesh to 1,164.

Updated on: Apr 17, 2020, 05:41:08 IST
Hindustan Times, Bhopal | By
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Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday blamed the state’s previous Congress government, which lost power last month, for leaving Madhya Pradesh ill-equipped to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic and for as many as 94 health department officials and employees contracting the disease.

A woman covers face of herself and her child during the second phase of nationwide COVID-19 lockdown in Jabalpur on Wednesday. (ANI photo)
A woman covers face of herself and her child during the second phase of nationwide COVID-19 lockdown in Jabalpur on Wednesday. (ANI photo)

“The previous government did not make any preparations for fighting Covid-19. It seems the health department staff was also not given any training. That is why the health department staff got infected. I have ordered an inquiry and action will be taken,” he said.

The state reported 226 new Covid-19 cases since Wednesday, which took the tally of such patients in Madhya Pradesh to 1,164. The state has reported 55 fatalities while 65 people have recovered, according to the state health department.

Four Indian Administrative officers are among the 94 health department employees tested positive for Covid-19.

Chouhan said the testing capacity has been enhanced significantly. “We are looking for each and every positive case and treating them. There may be many more patients in Bhopal and Indore but the good news is that many people are recovering fast.”

Indore accounted for 707 of the 1,164 cases and 39 deaths. Bhopal has reported 196 cases while Khandwa 33.

Police in Indore were planning using geofencing, a location-based app, to keep a track of the people under quarantine. Officials said restricting people to the quarantine centres was a major challenge for the administration and the police.

On Wednesday night, eight people, including five Covid-19 patients, fed from a quarantine centre. Three of them were traced later. Inspector general of police (Indore) Vivek Sharma said three major Covid-19 hotspots have emerged in Indore and police were keeping a close watch on these areas with the help of control rooms.

  • Ranjan
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Ranjan

    Ranjan Srivastava leads HT’s coverage from Bhopal. He has spent more than two decades in journalism in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, covering political and other affairs. For the past 16 years, he has been working in Madhya Pradesh.Read More

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