Indore, Bhopal, Ujjain sealed to contain spread of COVID-19

After an increase in the number of coronavirus cases, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday ordered three major cities Indore, Bhopal and Ujjain to be sealed completely.

The state government also invoked the Essential Services Management Act (ESMA) in the state with immediate effect to combat COVID-19 to ensure essential supplies and services are operational during this crisis.

"The district administration should ensure the supply of essential commodities in these areas. No person will be able to go in and out of these areas. Services of all government departments and their resources should be taken in coronavirus related work," Chouhan said.

In other districts also, the infected areas should be completely sealed, he said.

The Chief Minister announced this after a review of the situation and control arrangements of the coronavirus in the state with senior officials.

The number of coronavirus positive cases in Indore is 173, 96 in Bhopal, 13 in Ujjain, 12 in Khargone and 12 in Morena.

Urging people to take additional precautions, Chouhan said that every person should come out of the house wearing a mask to avoid infection.

Chief Minister Chouhan said, "No person should hide coronavirus disease. Coronavirus is death if you hide it and life if you inform about it."

Chouhan directed that an FIR should be registered against those who hide their travel history it and said after treatment, punitive action should be taken against them.

"The best treatment regime should be ensured for the coronavirus patients so that the death rate can be minimised," Chief Minister said.

Meanwhile, the former chief minister and Congress leader Kamal Nath questioned Chouhan's decision. He took to Twitter to post in Hindi that during a time when the government doctors, medical staff and officials are performing their duties with utmost responsibility, the state government's decision to invoke ESMA across the state was beyond comprehension.

Indore reported 40 new positive cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, taking the total number of infected patients in the city to 213.

The total number of cases in the capital city of Bhopal is 94, while Ujjain has reported 13 cases so far.