Bhopal: As coronavirus cases continued to surge at a rapid pace in Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal collector Tarun Pithode on Friday hinted that the lockdown could be extended in the state. Pithode said that the administration was considering extending the lockdown in the capital city where 37 new cases took the overall tally to 340. Out of 10,000 samples collected for Covid-19 test, the reports for 6,000 have arrived while results of the remaining are pending.
Talking to reporters on Thursday, state minister for Home and Health Narottam Mishra too hinted that the four worst-affected districts in the state, Bhopal, Indore, Ujjain and Khargone, could see an extension in the lockdown beyond May 3.
Adding that Indore was the most-hit district in the state, Mishra said that the district could see a rise in the number of coronavirus cases.
Few days ago, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan expressed his satisfaction over half the state being corona-free and said that districts like Shivpuri had reined in Covid-19 spread.
However, Chouhan added that districts including Indore, Bhopal, Ujjain and Khargone might not get any relaxation post May 3.
As the country inches closer towards the end of the second phase of the nationwide lockdown on May 3, as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the state government continues to be worried about several red zones, including the four districts, where the virus is yet to subside.
Several police personnel and their kin continued to test positive for Covid-19 in the state including the one and half year-old daughter of a policeman. The cop, posted at Shyamla Hills police station, was tested earlier and had been declared negative. However, the family has been asked to get tested again.
After 29 cops and 22 of their kin tested positive for the virus, the police administration enhanced Covid-19 testing for the staff. Apart from police stations, 80 samples were collected from the police headquarters in Bhopal after a clerk tested positive for the virus earlier.
Besides Bhopal, Indore saw a surge in the number of coronavirus cases on Friday after 84 tested positive for the virus, taking the total number of positive cases to 1,029 including 55 deaths and 79 recovered.
The tally rose in Ujjain and Khargone, too, with the number of positive cases being 101 and 60 in the districts respectively. While 11 deaths have occurred in Ujjain, Khargone has reported five deaths so far.
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