Indore sees 612 new Covid cases; highest single-day spike since outbreak

Indore, the worst-hit district in

Madhya Pradesh in terms of COVID-19 outbreak, has reported 612 new infection cases, its highest single-day spike since the pandemic began, a health official said on Friday.

These new cases were reported on Thursday, surpassing its previous high of 595 cases it had recorded on December 1 last year, he said.

Taking serious cognisance of the spurt in cases, the district crisis management committee has decided to increase the night curfew timing by one hour. So the curfew will now begin at 9 pm instead of 10 pm, Indore Collector Manish Singh said.

The administration has also decided to shut all religious places in the city, he said.

Moreover, nobody will be allowed to step out of their houses to celebrate Holi on Monday, the collector added.

Meanwhile, an eight-year-old boy from tribal Jhabua district succumbed to the infection at a private hospital in the city on Thursday night.

"The boy was brought to the hospital in a critical condition after initial treatment in Jhabua. Despite trying our best we could not save him," that hospital's deputy director Dr Amit Bhatt said.

"His lungs were 70 per cent affected at the time of admission," he said.

On Thursday night, Bhopal reported 425 new COVID-19 cases. Considering this rise in cases, the district crisis management committee is set to review the measures to contain the spread of the virus, official sources said.

Fresh guidelines for the state capital will be issued by the evening, they said.

Madhya Pradesh on Thursday reported 1,885 new COVID-19 cases, taking its case tally to 2,82,174.

Nine fatalities increased the death toll to 3,928, an official said.