Coronavirus: Uttarakhand CM favours extension of lockdown

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Friday strongly favoured extension of the countrywide lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

"Corona cases are rising. Though in Uttarakhand we have been able to contain it to some extent, some of our states are badly affected by it. So I don't think it is time to lift the lockdown," Rawat said.

"Many enlightened people havesuggested to me that the lockdown should be extended in the larger interest of people so that we get rid of COVID-19," he said.

Rawat said the pandemic is still in stage 1 in Uttarakhand where 35people have tested positive for COVID-19 so far including thosewith foreign travel history or members of Tablighi Jamaat returning from outside the state.

 

"Our hill districts fortunately has not reported a single positive case so far. One person who tested positive in Almora was a Jamaat member and the one who tested positive in Pauri had returned from Spain," Rawat said.

Acknowledging that the recent weeks had seen a rise in coronavirus positive cases in Uttarakhand, Rawat said the situation is better now with the sealing of around half a dozen localities and villages in Dehradun and Haridwar districts where members of the Tablighi Jamaat had taken shelter.

He said booking of Tablighi Jamaat members under attempt to murder charges for hiding their travel histories and thus endangering their own lives and those of others had also helped as they are now reporting voluntarily to authorities.

Rawat attributed the partial success in controlling the spread of the disease to strict enforcement of social distancing norms during the ongoing lockdown.

The chief minister said currently 110 cases were being tested on a regular basis at the two testing facilities in the state including AIIMS, Rishikesh and government medical college and hospital Haldwani.

Efforts are underway to ramp up testing facilities in the state by engaging some more hospitals for the purpose, he said.

When asked whether the period ofsix hours- 7 am to 1 pm - given to people to buy essentials from the market will be reduced, Rawat said reducing it will cause crowding on the streets in violation of social distancing guidelines.