Elderly man dies, 47 new cases in Rajasthan; face masks now compulsory in urban areas

An elderly man died and 47 new coronavirus cases surfaced in Rajasthan on Thursday, taking the COVID-19 count to 430 as the state goverment made masks compulsory in urban areas and agricultural mandis.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot also directed officials to install more CCTV cameras, beginning with Jaipur's walled city, to monitor the movement of people in coronavirus-hit areas.

At a video conference with officials, he also urged them to apply the Bhilwara model of aggressive containment of the disease in other parts of the state.

The 76-year-old man died in Jodhpur, the seventh person in the state so far to succumb to the infection.

Rajasthan has now joined states like Uttar Pradesh and Delhi that have made wearing face covers or masks mandatory when people step outside their homes.

Gehlot asked officials to ensure compliance of the decision in all 196 urban local bodies, and in mandis where procurement of foodgrain is scheduled to begin on April 15.

The decision was taken to contain the spread of coronavirus pandemic in the state, a press release quoting him said.

The 47 fresh cases include a Jodhpur doctor engaged in a door-to-door survey.

Eleven of these cases are from Jaipur district, seven each from Tonk, Jhalawar and Jhunjhunu, five from Jaisalmer, three from Jodhpur, two from Banswara and one from Barmer, an official said.

Gehlot asked officials to identify educational institutes, hotels, hospitals and other buildings which can be used for quarantining people.

Asking them to install cameras to monitor the movement of people in coronavirus hotspots, the CM suggested that the initiative should begin from Jaipur's walled city.

Jaipur has reported 140 coronavirus cases so far, most of them from the walled city's Ramganj area.

Depending on the result, the measure would be implemented in other hotspot as well, the government statement said.