Chhattisgarh: Government extends lockdown till August 6 in worst-hit districts
As Chhattisgarh continues to witness a surge in COVID-19 cases, the state government on Monday announced that the ongoing lockdown in the worst-hit districts will be extended until August 6. The decision to extend the lockdown was taken at a high-level cabinet meeting chaired by CM Bhupesh Baghel. Raipur, Raigarh, Bhilai, Rajnandgaon, Durg, Ambikapur, and Bilaspur are reportedly among the most-affected places. Here's more.
Chhattisgarh's Agriculture Minister, Ravindra Choubey, briefed the media about the lockdown extension following the meeting, which was attended by cabinet ministers and senior officials. He said the decision was taken as there has been a spike in COVID-19 cases in places like Raipur, Durg, and Bilaspur. He added the cabinet also took stock of the availability of beds for patients in the worst-hit areas.
State Cabinet in its meeting today has taken a decision to extend lockdown till August 6 in the districts most affected due to COVID19: Chhattisgarh Minister Ravindra Choubey pic.twitter.com/0U1RuQT05a
— ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2020
To recall, the Chhattisgarh Government had earlier imposed a weeklong lockdown in several major coronavirus-hit areas like Raipur, Durg, and Bilaspur, among others. It was enforced on July 22 and was to end on July 28. However, due to the spurt in COVID-19 cases in these places, the ongoing lockdown has now been extended by the state government till August 6.
"State cabinet in its meeting today has taken a decision to extend the lockdown till August 6 in the districts most affected due to COVID-19," said Choubey, addressing the media. "We also took stock of availability of beds for patients in cities where most of the cases are concentrated during the meeting and directed officials concerned to make necessary arrangements," the minister added.
Choubey also said the state government has directed the concerned district collectors to ensure strict compliance to lockdown norms in the worst-affected places. "The government has given instructions to the district collectors to ensure strict compliance to the lockdown rules in areas where the infection rate is high and all steps should be taken to contain the spread of virus," stated the Agriculture Minister.
All 28 districts in Chhattisgarh have been affected by the deadly coronavirus disease. The state has registered 7,450 COVID-19 cases as of Monday morning, as per the Health and Family Welfare Ministry. Of these, 2,463 were active cases and 43 were death cases, while 4,944 patients were discharged. More than 5,000 coronavirus cases in the state were reportedly registered in the last one month.
