A worker senitizes the Charbagh Railway Station in the wake of a surge in coronavirus cases in Lucknow. (FILE)
Lockdown in Lucknow? Uttar Pradesh Health Minister Brijesh Pathak has dropped ample hints that lockdown could be imposed in Lucknow as Covid-19 cases continue to surge. A letter undersigned by Pathak which is doing the rounds on social media platforms, states that strict measures are needed to bring the situation under control and that a lockdown cannot be ruled out.
In the 'classified' letter sent to Chief Secretary of the Health department, Pathak said said that he is getting calls for help due to lack of resources at hospitals but he is 'unable to help out'. He alleged that no one picks up the phone at the Health Officer's office and went on to underline that beds should be increased in hospitals to attend patients. He added that hospitals should ramp up testing as well.
"The situation in Lucknow is a matter of concern. I have received calls wherein people are alleging that they are not getting proper treatment," he said.
"It is unfortunate that private hospitals have reduced testing. There is a need of 17000 testing kits, whereas only 10000 are available," the minister mentioned in the letter.
Earlier, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had expressed concerns over rising cases in the state. He had said that it is the responsibility of the officials to ensure that there is no shortage of hospital beds for the patients in the state.
"If needed, take over the private hospitals and medical colleges to overcome the shortcomings. Our priority has to be the implementation of an effective strategy to stop the spread of Covid-19," he had said.
Uttar Pradesh is witnessing a fresh wave of pandemic. The state recorded as many as 15,353 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, the highest single-day spike in UP this year. On Monday, the tally rose to 7,05,619 with 13,685 fresh cases. A total of 72 people lost their lives, highest single-day toll this month, pushing the death toll in the state to 9,224. At present, there are 81,576 active cases in the state, while 6,14,819 patients have recovered from the infection so far.
Last week, the state government imposed a night curfew in Lucknow in a bid to effectively control the rise in Covid-19 cases. The curfew will remain in force between 9 pm and 6 am till April 30.
READ MORE: India sees slight dip in Covid cases with over 1.6 lakh new infections in last 24 hours
READ MORE: COVID-19: Ten states account for over 80% new cases
