Uttarakhand's coronavirus woes continue

The Uttarakhand government on Sunday imposed a statewide lockdown till May 18 in light of the rapid rise in Covid-19 cases. A total of 5,890 new cases, 180 deaths and 2,731 recoveries were reported in the last 24 hours, the state health department said. The state’s capital Dehradun reported 2,419 cases and 85 deaths. The district had registered 3,182, 3,979 and 3,430 cases on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, respectively. Since May 1, Dehradun and other hill districts are witnessing a constant rise in the number of Covid cases.

The state is also struggling with oxygen, beds and other Covid-related support structures. As per the state’s information department, chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat had recently contacted Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani and Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla, requesting them to provide medical equipment through CSR funds. “State government wants them to supply medical equipment directly to the state government through CSR,” an official said.

In this regard, the CM had also held virtual meetings with Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra and Paytm’s Vijay Shekhar Sharma. Rawat urged Mahindra to provide 1,000 oxygen cylinders, 1,000 oxygen concentrators, MRI machines and 500 BIPAP, besides other medical equipment. Apart from a makeshift hospital in the Kumaon region, the state government is setting up a 500-bed makeshift hospital on the campus of IDPL, Rishikesh, with DRDO’s help.