Covid-19 hinterland digest: No green zones in Bihar to stop spread of virus

People gathered at liquor shops across India when coronavirus curbs were lifted on Monday morning. Several shops and industries started opening in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs. .

Business Standard takes a look at regional editions of Hindi newspapers to provide you with a picture of the Covid-19 situation in the hinterland.

It's all red and orange in Bihar, no green zones

To contain the spread of coronavirus in Bihar, the state government has converted the green zone into orange. Therefore, the state only has red and orange zones, reports Dainik Jagran. The police have been ordered to maintain law and order and ensure that social distancing is duly followed. The government has said that people won't be able to travel to different cities without necessary passes. Security and testing will be tighter at the checkpoints on the borders. Strict actions will be taken if people enter the state without passes. However, some leniency will be given in orange zones. Shops will remain open till 7 pm. Salons have been given permission to resume operation. Cab operators like Ola and Uber have been allowed to start running again but only one passenger will be allowed in a cab. Buses won't run as yet. Other restrictions are in line with those being followed across the country.

40 new patients in a day in Nimbaheda

Nimbaheda in Rajasthan saw a major coronavirus (Covid-19) spread, with 40 new cases coming to light on Sunday, reports Dainik Bhaskar. This includes a Councillor as well. The new cases include children, adults, and senior citizens as well. Most of the cases have emerged from contaminated families. It is important to note that the cases are close to the Lakhara Gali, the hotspot of the town. The Congress Councillor is also from Lakhara Gali. With the cases rising, the situation in Rajasthan seems to be deteriorating only. 

Chilli farmers destroy crop in frustration

The lockdown has taken a huge toll on the chilli farmers in Bastar, Bihar. The farmers are not able to sell chilli at Rs 5 per kg, which is very frustrating for them, reports Dainik Bhaskar. Despite the government's move to ease the norms for workers, there is an acute shortage of labourers. Due to this, the crop is yet to be harvested. Farmers fear that the crop might get destroyed if not cut on time. Earlier, these farmers used to get Rs 18-20 per kg, they are not getting Rs 5. Farmers have started ploughing their fields without cutting the crop to prepare it for the next season. Others are just letting the chilli fry in the heat.

Oxygen pipelines missing from Covid-19 hospitals

Uttar Pradesh is trying to convert its medical colleges into level 2-3 coronavirus hospitals. However, to do so there must be an oxygen pipeline reaching each bed. This is missing in most of the hospitals, reports Amar Ujala. Heads of medical colleges from Prayagraj, Meerut, Kanpur, Jhansi have written to the authorities to release funds immediately and get the work for the oxygen pipeline going. However, 19 hospitals in the state have been prepared as level-3 coronavirus hospitals. These hospitals have ventilators for each bed. There are now 38,000 isolation beds and the target is to reach 52,000 soon.