COVID-19: Industries, Agri to Resume from April 20 in MP, Says CM Chouhan
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Image Courtesy: Money Control
Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday, April 19, announced that industrial activities and limited economic activities would resume in districts that are in orange and green zones from April 20 -- but the three worst-hit cities of Indore, Bhopal and Ujjain -- will remain in complete lock down.
Addressing the people on Sunday evening, the CM said that construction activities, work under MGNREGA and industrial activities would be allowed in all the other districts, subject to their conformation with the Union Government guidelines. Shops will also be allowed to open but norms of social distancing will have to be followed by all.
“As of now, I have decided not to open Vallabh Bhawan (state secretariat) either. Life is more important than anything else,” he said. Other offices will also not open as crowds would gather, he pointed out.
Procurement of rabi crops is also being carried out and the government is“committed to procuring every grain of farmers’ produce”, the CM said. If traders give farmers proper rate of their produce, they can sell it to them as well, he added.
Also read: MP: Health Associations and Activists Demand GST Waiver on Medical Equipment
The compulsion of buying crops from mandis is being relaxed and traders can buy wheat and other produce from farmers’ homes or set up their own procurement centres, Chouhan announced.
MP’s youngest COVID-19 patient is nine-days old
A nine-day-old newborn became Madhya Pradesh’s youngest COVID-19 patient on Sunday. The infant was among 27 COVID-19 positive cases reported in the administration’s bulletin on Sunday, taking Bhopal’s count to 213. The state bulletin, however, showed an increase of one for the day and put the tally at 214. The infant was born nine days ago in Bhopal’s Sultania Hospital. Doctors noticed symptoms of COVID-19 and had her tested. The report came positive on Sunday.
Sources said that the child and her mother have been admitted to a private hospital designated as a special treatment facility. Samples of the parents have been sent for tests.
A major spike in positive cases are expected in Bhopal as test results o f 1,335 people are to come on Monday evening, said Bhopal CMHO.
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