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With 41 new positive cases, Rajasthan Covid count 1,046
A statement from chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s office said the resumption of the industrial activity will help migrant workers get work
The number of Covid-19 cases in Rajasthan went up to 1,046 on Wednesday as 41 people tested positive for the disease on the day when the state government announced that offices, industrial activities will resume fully in rural and partially in urban areas from April 20.
A statement from chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s office said the resumption of the industrial activity will help migrant workers get work. It added industries with residential facilities for workers will be allowed to function in urban areas. The statement said orders have been issued to resume work in government offices partially in urban areas. In rural areas, government offices will open fully to facilitate agriculture works and procurement of farm produce.
The Centre on Wednesday announced industries located in the countryside will reopen from April 20 while farm activities will also resume a day after the 21-lockdown imposed to check the pandemic was extended till May 3.
Rohit Singh, additional chief secretary (health), said 28 new Covid-19 cases were reported from Jaipur on Wednesday, seven each from Jodhpur and Kota and one case each from Dausa, Nagaur, Tonk, and Jhunjhunu.
Singh said 147 people have so far recovered and 74 have been discharged. He added of the total 37,860 samples taken for testing in Rajasthan, 31,902 have tested negative and 4,912 were being tested.
Singh said the recovery rate in the state is between 14 and 15%. It was a bit higher earlier, touching 17% on April 1. But since then, there has been a sharp rise in the number of positive cases against those who have recovered and the rate has fallen. As of April 15, it stood at 14%.
Rajasthan has the fourth-highest Covid-19 cases in the country after Maharashtra, Delhi and Tamil Nadu. Till April 9, Rajasthan had 500 cases. In four days, the figure has almost doubled.
In Ramganj, one of the Covid-19 hotspots in the state, 82.5% of the samples taken have tested positive.
Singh said that during random sampling, 345 of 418 samples have tested positive in Ramganj. He added a large number of cases have been reported because of aggressive testing.
The health department is carrying out random sampling in Ramganj, which has been divided into 30 clusters.
Authorities have sealed Ramganj and barred entry and exit of people from there as the government is trying to prevent community spread of the disease.
Across the state, 430 doctors and nursing staff are in quarantine or home isolation.
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