JAIPUR: A sharp rise in the COVID-19 cases in the week after Diwali have forced the Gehlot government to impose section 144 in Rajasthan.
The state has seen a record rise of over 2000 new cases for the last four days. On Saturday, a record 3007 COVID-positive cases were detected. It has also been reported that after Diwali six per cent of the country's patients are from Rajasthan. During Diwali, there was a huge crowd in the markets which has led to an increase in the number of cases.
When Section-144 is imposed in an area, no more than 4 people can gather there. Except for the police and security forces, there is a ban on anyone bringing and carrying weapons. There are restrictions on movement for people and traffic.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has appealed to the people not to gather in large numbers in view of the fast-spreading infection. He said in a review meeting that private hospitals should also increase the number of beds for coronavirus patients and provide treatment only at the rates fixed by the government.
"In villages, COVID-19 has so far resulted in 573 deaths, which is 27 per cent of the total deaths. So villagers should not take this disease lightly", he said.
He instructed the officers to increase testing in rural areas. The Chief Minister also assured that adequate number of beds are available in hospitals for COVID patients. He said that if a patient has any problem including beds unavailability, then he/she can contact the centralized helpline number 181.
The impact of Diwali and the electoral rush has resulted in the Corona explosion. A total of 2,40676 people have been infected and 2146 have died so far. On Thursday, Rajasthan ranked fifth in the country with the most fresh cases. More patients have only been reported in Maharashtra, Delhi, Kerala and Bengal.