Rajasthan reported 51 new cases of the coronavirus disease on Sunday morning, a day after reporting its highest single-day addition of Covid-19 numbers, taking the tally to 751.
News agency ANI reported that the coronavirus cases were reported from eight places across the state. It said Jaipur and Banswara had 15 patients each, Bikaner and Jodhpur eight each, two were in Hanumangarh and one each in Sikar, Churu and Jaisalmer.
It cited the state’s health department. The state has reported eight deaths so far.
Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, while participating in the video conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has emphasised that the decision on the extension of the lockdown beyond April 14 should be taken after taking all the states into confidence.
Gehlot also urged PM Modi to introduce new schemes such as ‘food for work’, announce a big package for industries and relaxation in central GST amid the coronavirus crisis.
Rajasthan had reported 180 Covid-19 cases on Saturday, with 65 in Jaipur Ramganj area, which has become a hotspot for the infection.
Curfew has been imposed in Ramganj and nine other police station areas in Jaipur from where coronavirus cases have been reported.
A 45-year-old resident of Ramganj, who returned from Oman on March 12, has been identified as a super spreader. He was asked by health officials to stay in home quarantine but continued to meet people and even offered prayers at a local mosque.
He tested positive on March 26 and curfew was imposed in Ramganj, a crowded neighbourhood with a population of nearly 500,000. Since then, another 150 cases have been reported from Ramganj and traced back to the man who came back from Oman.
Till April 1, Rajasthan had reported Covid-19 cases from 11 of 33 districts—Bhilwara with 26 and Jaipur with 21 were the hotspots.
By April 1, 24 of 33 districts in the state started reporting Covid-19 cases. Apart from Jaipur and Bhilwara, now Banswara, Bikaner, Churu, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Jhunjhunu, Tonk, Kota and Jhalawar have emerged as the new areas of concern for the government.
Banswara, Bikaner Jaisalmer, Tonk, Kota and Jhalawar did not report a single case on April 1. Jhunjhunu and Churu reported eight cases of the dreaded disease each and Jodhpur one.
On Saturday, Banswara reported there were 37 patients of the coronavirus disease, Bikaner 24, Churu 11, Jaisalmer 28, Jodhpur 43, Jhunjhunu 31, Tonk 45, Kota 33 and Jhalawar 12 cases.
From April 1, cases of Tablighi Jamaat members testing positive for the virus also started coming to the fore.
Officials of the health department have said there were around 450 Jamaatis from Rajasthan who attended the religious congregations in Delhi’s Nizamuddin in March.
They have said that of the 700 Covid-19 cases in the state, more than 60% have been traced back to the Tablighi Jamaat members.
