JAIPUR: COVID-19 infections are spreading rapidly in Rajasthan, especially in Bhilwara district. Five of the six new infections reported on Saturday emerged in Bhilwara which has now become a serious concern for the state government.
All five Bhilwara patients are hospital staff who were regularly in contact with the doctor who was infected earlier. With this, the number of patients in the state who tested positive for the virus reached 23, of which 11 cases are in Bhilwara. About 6000 people visited the hospital in Bhilwara where the doctor was found to be infected on Friday and screenings are being done as quickly as possible.
Earlier on Friday, eight cases of COVID-19 were reported in Rajasthan, of which six were from Bhilwara and two from Jaipur. After this Bhilwara district has been kept on high alert. Isolation wards of 400 beds have been built at 13 places in the city.
The district collector of Bhilwara, Rajendra Bhatt said, ‘‘An investigation by the state health department has revealed that one of the infected doctors had come home a few days ago from Saudi Arabia. Then he also infected fellow doctors.’’
After the Bhilwara crisis, the concerns of Rajasthan’s medical department have rapidly increased. The medical department of Udaipur has appealed to the general public that if anyone was treated at Bangad Hospital in Bhilwara after March 1, they should immediately contact the nearest medical centre or coronavirus control room.
The Bhilwara administration has asked people to stay at home. The administration has asked people to get out of the house only between 7-10 am and 5-7 pm in the morning to get their daily necessities. Transportation of all types of vehicles has also been banned in the district.
‘‘We have made 25 blockade points to prevent entry into the district. Anybody who defies the curfew regulations will be punished severely,’’ said Bhilwara District police SP, Harendra Mahwar.
A man who returned from Switzerland and a woman who returned from the US also tested positive for COVID-19 in Jaipur. All have been admitted to the isolation ward. The woman is said to be a resident of Vaishali Nagar. Samples of a total of 658 people have been taken so far for investigation in the state. Of these, 593 people have reported negative but 42 reports are yet to come.