Will Himachal be next after Kerala and Goa to flatten curve?
Shimla: With no fresh COVID -19 case reported, so far, in the past three days, Himachal Pradesh, on Wednesday, showed the signs of further improvements in the Coronavirus conditions in the state.
Himachal Pradesh has only 16 active cases in hospitals against 39 tested positives.
As a result state government took two important decisions to roll-out its plans to open-up economic activities in the rural areas .
At a meeting of the Deputy Commissioners and SPs, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur ordered relaxation of lockdown norms to permit inter-district movement of vehicles carrying patients and farmers.
"However, the officials must maintain a full record of such movements to keep a strict vigil which can help in contact tracing if any new case is detected. The officers should also motivate farmers for adopting social distancing during the crop season. Steps must be taken for procurement of their produce too".
Earlier, the government had restricted all inter-district movements even as it had decided to open–up a series of activities including farming, construction and industrial manufacturing, particularly pharmaceutical.
The movements from hotspot areas should not be permitted to avoid any chance of spread of Coronavirus to other parts of the state, Thakur asked.
The government, it's clear, is still not in the mood to allow entry of those struck in the other states despite pressures being built–up on Chief Minister, despite controversies about two BJP MPs having travelled from Delhi to Jogindernagar and Dharamshala.
Director General of police S R Mardi admitted that some futile efforts were still being made by certain persons to enter the state secret routes and threaten to take legal action against such persons.
Appreciating public support on the state's effort to deal with Coronavirus spread, Mardi hoped that if things continue to proceed this way, Himachal Pradesh could be the next state to flatten the COVID-19 curb like Kerala Goa and Sikkim.
He quoted an example of a woman at Nahan in Sirmaur district, who refused to allow her daughter to enter the home when she (Daughter ) managed to reach from Ambala on Wednesday. Mother, instead, alerted the police and sent her to quarantine centre.
Meanwhile, Additional Chief Secretary (Health ) R D Dhiman has warned those making attacks on Corona worriers viz doctors, policemen, sanitation staff, media and all those engaged in preventing the spread of COVID 19, and its treatment.
He said the central government has promulgated an ordinance under which any person who attacks a health worker, who is treating COVID-19 cases can be jailed for a maximum of seven years.
One such case has already been registered in Hamirpur district on the complaint of an ASHA worker, who was engaged in the Active Case Finding survey as she was humiliated, abused and insulated.
