8 more including a journalist test Covid-19 positive, Kanpur tally now 152

KANPUR:Eight more persons, including a journalist of a national Hindi daily and a sub-inspector and five police constables, all posted at Anwarganj police station, tested positive for COVID-19 in district on Saturday, taking the total number of such cases to 152.
The city had reported its first case on March 23 when a 70-year-old man tested positive for coronavirus, few days after his arrival from the US.
As per officials, nine of them have been cured and discharged and three others have died, leaving the number of active cases at 140. Taking a serious note of the spike in the number of COVID-19 cases, the district and police administration have stepped up vigil in areas where people are violating lockdown norms.
Those failing to follow it will be penalised as per IPC provisions and of the Epidemics Diseases, COVID-19 regulations.
With the increasing number of coronavirus cases in the city, more areas are being declared as hotspots, much to the worry of police officials.
Four new hotspots in the city have been marked. They are — Meerpur Cantt, Prem nagar in Chamanganj, Lalkuan in Babupurwa and Shaukat Ali Park in Bajaria. The city has 23 hotspots now.
As per senior police officials, number of red zones—areas with major Covid outbreaks—have also increased. There are 15 red zones in the city now. Areas within one km radius of the hotspot have been sealed and area within two km radius have been declared as buffer zones, informed police. No shops are allowed to open all such areas and home delivery is permitted. Permissions and licenses issued in the aforesaid areas have been cancelled.
SSP Anant Deo said that the situation was worrying as police were not immune to the virus and few cops had also tested Covid positive in the past.
“With new hotspots coming up, more challenges stand ahead of police,” he added.
Meanwhile, Covid-19 nodal officer Nitin Ramesh Gokarn, who is also the PWD principal secretary, conducted a review meeting with senior administrative officials. He directed them to provide PPE kits to health teams and police officials who are involved in collection of samples for test.
The nodal officer, on Saturday, visited COVID -19 contol room at KMC headquarters and KDA control rooms to enquire about the ongoing work. DM Dr Brahmadeo Ram Tiwari apprised him that around 250 samples were being collected everyday and schools and colleges had been selected to quarantine suspected Covid cases. In view of Ramzan, a 100-bed-quarantine centre had been established at Halim Inter College, the DM informed.
DIG Anant Deo told Gokarn that police were tracking down the travel history of positive patients.
Sisamau circle officer and additional city magistrate (III) launched an inspection campaign in several areas and initiated legal action against the violators. City magistrate Himanshu Gupta visited Collectorganj, Nayaganj and Express Road area. He lodged an FIR against three vegetable and fruit vendors for not complying social distancing norms despite repeated warnings.
DM, in another order, asked officials to conduct thermal screening of health workers deputed at CHCs and PHCs and are involved in sample collection. Ramaipur health department conducted thermal screening of suspected cases.