E-Paper
‘Numbers will rise’: CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Indore Covid-19 cases
The chief minister said the numbers will likely see an increase as the administration has started testing extensively.
Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday urged people to not be scared as coronavirus cases spiked in the industrial hub of Indore. Till late Tuesday night, the city reported 427 cases.
The chief minister said the numbers will likely see an increase as the administration has started testing extensively.
“People in Indore shouldn’t be scared, numbers will increase. If someone doesn’t know that they’re positive, they’ll not only risk their own lives but that of others too. So we decided to conduct testing extensively. This will help control corona,” said Chouhan.
An analysis of the data shows that till Wednesday morning, the death rate of Covid-19 patients in the city was around 6.8 per cent, higher than the national average.
“There was no testing infrastructure earlier, tests were not even being done till March 23. Now we have nine functional labs. We are also sending samples to Delhi for tests. That is why the number of cases is rising,” the CM added.
Elaborating on details of the cases, Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Praveen Jadia said most of the new patients from Indore are either relatives or close acquaintances of people who earlier tested positive for coronavirus. All those, he added, who came in contact with these patients have already been isolated as a precaution.
So far, 37 people have been discharged after recovery, he said.
The local administration has imposed curfew in urban limits since March 25 after the first coronavirus patients were found in the city.
The chief minister also assured migrant workers from the state stuck in other places that money will be transferred to their accounts and arrangements are being made for them. Yesterday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the nationwide lockdown will be in place till May 3. Soon after, rail and train services were also shut till the end of extended lockdown.
“Many workers of MP are stuck in other states.They couldn’t return when lockdown was extended.We talked to other CMs to make arrangements for their food and shelter. We’ve decided to transfer Rs 1,000 in accounts of such workers. They’ll be able to withdraw it wherever they are,” said Chouhan, who took oath as CM on March 23.
The chief minister underlined that his government is standing with the workers in this critical time.
“Don’t worry we’ll send you more money if needed. We’re standing with you. I request people’s representatives to make a list of all such people and send it to the Chief Minister’s Office or District collector’s office. We will send money as and when the list is sent to us,” said Chouhan.
Of the total 377 coronavirus deaths, Maharashtra tops the tally with 178 deaths, followed by Madhya Pradesh at 50, Delhi at 30, Gujarat at 28 and Telangana at 17. Punjab and Tamil Nadu have reported 12 deaths each. Karnataka has reported 10 fatalities while Andhra Pradesh reported nine deaths.
