New Delhi: Rajasthan on Friday became the latest state to extend the ongoing three-week lockdown till April 30 in an effort to arrest the spread of the novel coronavirus. The decision came even as the state reported 98 fresh cases, taking its tally to 561.
The death toll due to the disease also increased to eight, with the death of a 65-year-old woman at a hospital in Jaipur, said officials.
Earlier on Friday, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said the state will extend the lockdown till May 1. His announcement came a day after Odisha said the lockdown in the state will be extended until the end of this month.
While Prime Minister Narendra had last month announced a nationwide lockdown from March 25 to April 14 to control the spread of coronavirus, other states are also considering extensions as the nationwide death toll increased to 206 and the number of cases crossed the 6,500-mark.
Rajasthan Chief Minister earlier on Friday said the decision on extending the lockdown in the state beyond April 14 will be taken while keeping public health in mind. Making the comments while discussing the situation through video-conferencing with representatives of industrial organisations and various business associations, Gehlot said protecting the lives of people was paramount for the state government.
State Urban Development and Housing (UDH) Minister Shanti Dhariwal said Rajasthan was the first state to announce a lockdown after it anticipated the possibility of spread of the contagious virus – a move which helped the state government in containing the disease's community spread to a great extent.
Rajasthan has also banned spitting in public places from Friday onwards in view of the health and safety of the citizens, said Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Rohit Kumar Singh. The initiative was taken under Section (2) of the Rajasthan Epidemic Diseases Act, 1957 in the larger public interest under which spitting after chewing tobacco or non-tobacco products has been banned with immediate effect.
Penal action will be taken against those flouting the order under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code.
Singh said it is seen that after eating ‘paan' or chewing tobacco and non-tobacco products, people tend to spit in public places, which increases the chances of spreading the dreaded virus. To prevent this from happening, it has become imperative to ban such unhygienic habits, he added.
State tally continues to increase
The 98 new cases reported in Rajasthan on Friday included eight people evacuated from Iran.
"With 98 fresh cases reported on Friday, the total number of COVID-19 patients has reached 561, whereas with the death of a 65-year old woman who died at SMS hospital in Jaipur on Thursday evening, the number of deaths has increased to eight," said an official.
The maximum number of cases -- 53 -- were reported on Friday in Jaipur, a hotspot, taking the tally of patients in the state capital to 221. Banswara reported 12 cases, Jodhpur nine, Jaisalmer eight, Jhalawar three, Kota two and Alwar, Bharatpur and Dausa one each.
(With inputs from PTI)
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