Chhattisgarh reported 197 fresh coronavirus disease (Covid-19) positive cases – the highest single-day spike to date – on Thursday, including 20 Indo-Tibetan Police Police (ITBP) personnel.
The following is the district-wise break-up of the new Covid-19 positive cases: Raipur (57), Bilaspur (32), Rajnandgaon (23), Durg (17), Kabirdham (16), Surguja (14), Janjgir-Champa (12), Bemetara (9), Jashpur (5), Korba (4), Raigarh (3), Balodabazar (3), and Balrampur (1).
“At least 20 ITBP personnel, from a camp in Rajnandgaon district, tested Covid-19 positive. Contact tracing has started in earnest and more people will be scanned soon,” said Jitendra Shukla, superintendent of police (SP), Rajnandgaon.
A senior citizen (66) has also died due to Covid-19, as the toll rose to 21 in the state.
Chhattisgarh has reported 4,754 positive cases, of which 1,282 are active cases and 3,451 have recovered from their viral infection, to date.
Earlier, Niharika Barik Singh, health secretary, Chhattisgarh, had written to Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Border Security Force (BSF), ITBP, Indian Army and Service Selection Board (SSB) authorities to ensure strict compliance with the quarantine protocols.
An order has been issued that whenever personnel returns to the state, they must be compulsorily quarantined for 14 days and Covid-19 tests conducted, and information about their health condition should be shared regularly with respective district collectors.
On Tuesday, the state government had issued a fresh list of red, orange, green zones, spanning 112 blocks in 25 districts, amid a spike in Covid-19 positive cases in the state.
Only Sukma, Gaurella-Pendra-Marwahi, and Dhamtari districts do not feature in the state health department’s latest advisory.
The health department has decided to establish swab sample collection centres in urban and rural areas for early detection of Covid-19 positive cases.
The authorities have directed the chief medical and health officers of all the districts to establish these centres at the earliest in a bid to conduct aggressive testing and flatten the viral curve.
Chhattisgarh had recorded its first viral outbreak case in Raipur on March 18.
