Several measures have been taken by both Centre and the state governments to control the spread of the virus and ensure treatment for those who are infected.
The ongoing lockdown has been extended to May 3 but in certain states, the restrictions might get extended further. Apart from creating containment zones, efforts are also being made to ensure that social distancing is maintained.
State governments have intensified the surveillance to check on lockdown violators and authorities are also coming up with innovative ways to make sure people state at home. The government along with several NGOs have also stepped up and is providing food and medical aid to those who are stranded in different places.
Here is an update on how different states are tackling the Coronavirus outbreak:
Covid-19 hotspots:
According to the Ministry of Health’s data, Maharashtra has the highest number of positive cases at 5,652 and the number of deaths recorded is 269 whereas those who have been cured or discharged are 789.
This is followed by Gujarat and Delhi which has recorded 2,407 and 2,248 positive cases, respectively. As of today, the death toll in Gujarat is 103 whereas in Delhi is 48, while the number of cured in Delhi is 724 and in Gujarat, it is 179.
Considering the situation, the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had decided not to relax the lockdown which was meant to start on April 20. Gujarat has become the state with the second-highest number of cases and the government has intensified the surveillance and testing in the state. Maharashtra has identified 70 containment zones.
Rajasthan (1890), Tamil Nadu (1629), Madhya Pradesh (1592) and Uttar Pradesh (1449) is also seeing a rise in cases. In Rajasthan which has recorded 27 deaths, massive surveys and screening are underway to track the people infected with the virus.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh has recorded 21 deaths and Tamil Nadu has 18. But there is a ray of hope as the number of cured cases are also increasing. While Tamil Nadu also has the highest number of cured cases at 662, Rajasthan at 230, Madhya Pradesh at 148, and Uttar Pradesh at 173 follow closely.
Cases below 1,000:
States with positive cases under 1000 are Telangana (945) and Andhra Pradesh (813). The cured cases in Telangana are 194 and the deaths recorded are 23. In Andhra Pradesh, the cured cases have reached 120 while the death toll is 24. To stop further spread of the virus, the Telangana government has decided to extend the lockdown until May 7.
The states which have managed to keep the cases under 500 so far are Kerala, Karnataka, and West Bengal with 438, 427, and 456 respectively. While Kerala saw a couple of days with only one or two cases, fresh cases have recently come into the light.
The state has also reported 323 cured cases and the death rate is 3. In Karnataka, the deaths recorded is 17 and cured cases are 131. The state government according to a PTI report, has decided partially to relax COVID-19 lockdown norms in the state and allow IT and IT-enabled services to operate with essential minimum staff and also certain construction activities, manufacturing of packaging materials, courier services, among others from Thursday.
In West Bengal, 79 people have been cured or discharged and the number of deaths recorded is 15. the Jammu and Kashmir (470), Haryana (262), Punjab (251) and Bihar (143) have also reported low confirmed cases though the states are witnessing an increase.
Among these states, Punjab has the highest number of deaths at 16, followed by Jammu Kashmir at 5, Haryana has 3 recorded deaths whereas Bihar has reported 2 deaths so far. The number of cured or discharged in Haryana in 127, whereas in Jammu and Kashmir it is 92, Bihar has 46, and 49 people recovered in Punjab.
States which are still in safer zones:
The total positive cases recorded from Odisha is 83, Uttarakhand is 46, in Jharkhand, it is 49, while Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, and Chandigarh are at 40, 35, 36, 27 respectively. While no deaths have been recorded from Chandigarh nor Chhattisgarh, one death each has been recorded from Assam and Himachal Pradesh.
According to reports, the Chandigarh administration has changed curfew relaxation timings for purchasing essential items in view of approaching the summer season. From April 24, Friday, the curfew relaxation hours will be from 10 am to 2 pm, instead of the present 11 am to 3 pm.
In Assam, reports have come that the state government will allow movement of people stranded in different parts of the state for three days from April 25 in accordance with guidelines issued by Union home ministry.
How Northeast states and Islands are fighting Coronavirus outbreak:
Meghalaya (12), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (18), and Ladakh (18) out of which only Meghalaya has one recorded death. While the number of cured in Ladakh it is 14, all cases in Meghalaya are under treatment. Recently the Chief Secretary of Andaman Nicobar Islands announced that eleven who had tested positive for coronavirus have recovered.
Arunachal Pradesh had one case recorded which according to data, has cured/discharged. Due to the efforts taken by Arunachal Pradesh, there are no new cases in the state. When the initial news of the outbreak had come out Arunachal Pradesh which shares borders with China suspended issuing Protected Area Permits to ensure no foreign national crossed the borders.
The government in Mizoram which has one ongoing case has tightened security along the state’s border with Myanmar and Bangladesh. Manipur had 2 cases that have both been cured/discharged. The state government has also undertaken many measures to control the spread of the virus this includes a regular screening of truck drivers and their handyman who are transporting essential goods to the state.
The Manipur government also launched a website and an Android App to provide the latest and authentic information on coronavirus. Tripura has 1 ongoing case and 1 cured record. Goa and Union territory Puducherry have had 7 cases each. While all cases in Goa have been discharged, Puducherry has recorded 3 discharged cases and other cases are still active.