JAIPUR: The Rajasthan Government has decided to re-seal its borders from Wednesday in view of the fast-rising number of COVID-19 cases in the state. In the middle Unlock 1, Additional Chief Secretary Home Rajiv Swaroop issued the order on Wednesday morning.
Director-General Law and Order ML Lathar then issued further orders to the respective district SPs saying all the boundaries of the border should be sealed. However, the order does not affect air and rail travel to and from Rajasthan.
In effect, a complete ban has been imposed on road travel in and out of Rajasthan. This order will be effective for the next seven days. After that, if the number of positive patients fall, the order will be reversed.
But if the number of infected patients rises, then this order will stay in operation for a longer period.
The process of sealing all the borders was quickly set in motion. In Dungarpur district, the Ratanpur border with Gujarat has been sealed and a police team has been posted. Now, only those with a medical emergency and pass holders will be able to enter the state. The border with Punjab has been sealed in Sriganganagar. Similarly, Maval border adjoining Gujarat in Sirohi district has been sealed.
CM Ashok Gehlot has also called for a review meeting at his residence to discuss the current crisis.
Meanwhile, the number of COVID cases in Rajasthan is spiking. A record 369 people tested positive on Tuesday. Of these, 100 were from the state's biggest hotspot, the capital Jaipur. Nine deaths were also recorded on the day.
Significantly, another record was also set as 27 districts of the state reported corona cases on Tuesday. To put the numbers in perspective, the daily average of cases in Rajasthan is 250.
On Saturday, there were 253 positive cases, but a huge spike was observed on Tuesday. The total number of infected people in the state has now reached 11368. The COVID-19 death toll stands at 256.
Health Minister Dr Raghu Sharma, said that the government is focused on testing to prevent the spread of the disease.
"The department had earlier targeted 25 thousand tests per day. Now, the next target has been set for 40 thousand tests a day. There have been 40 lakh tests in the whole country so far, out of which 5 lakh 18 thousand 350 tests have been done in Rajasthan. Our testing capacity has gone from zero to 25150," he said.
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