The State capital has emerged as the fresh hotspot not only in the State but nationally as in the last 72 hours, the number of covid19 infected cases have almost surged by four fold in the city.
The most worrying factor is that a large number of these cases include health staff and police personnel and their kin. The infected persons in Bhopal were 25 on April 5 while on April 8 afternoon, the tally of total positive cases in the state capital has risen to 91 including one casualty and two who have recovered.
The city reported eight positive cases on Wednesday afternoon including seven of the Health staffers and a journalist from a regional TV channel.
Bhopal had witnessed first corona infection case on March 22 when a young woman student who studies at London returned to city was tested positive. Later her journalist father too had contracted the infection. Both, however have recovered from the infection couple of days ago are the only ones to recover in Bhopal.
The only death the city reported couple of days ago when a man Naresh Khatik, 29, who worked as a watchman with a trader had died during treatment. Bhopal where curfew was imposed on March 24 was put under total lockdown since April 5 midnight. Only milk parlours, petrol pumps and chemist shops are allowed to be opened.The major contributors among the fresh cases include 20 Tablighi Jamaat members, 10 policemen, five of their kin and close to three dozen health staff including senior officials.
Around 2100 police personnel from Bhopal have been stayed in hotels, guest houses and marriage garden to check any further check of the virus among them and their kin.
Bhopal DIG Irshad Wali and Collector Tarun Pithode too have kept themselves in isolation in a guest house and have offered samples for test. Other senior police officials too have kept themselves in self-quarantine.
Seeing the exponential rise in positive cases, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday had hinted that lockdown could be extended in Madhya Pradesh. “If the economy is derailed, it could be corrected but those who would die won’t be brought back,” Chouhan had said.
During a review meeting of covid 19, Chouhan had on Tuesday directed the administration to strictly keep the borders of Bhopal and Indore sealed and prevent any unauthorised transportation. He had ordered his officers to study covid19 control model of Bhilwara and Karnataka and implement it in Madhya Pradesh.
