The Chhattisgarh government on Thursday imposed Section 144, a law that prohibits gatherings, across the state and ordered closure of malls, supermarkets, restaurants, clubs and street vendors after a 24-year-old woman was tested positive for COVID-19, the first case in the state. The woman returned from London on March 15 and reported to AIIMS-Raipur the same day. Four of her family members, including her parents, are kept in isolation. “We are waiting for test results, although none of the family members show any symptoms,” a health department official said. Hours after the woman tested positive, the police enforced a lockdown in parts of Raipur — Samta Nagar, Gudhiyari and Choubey Colony — where the woman lived. “The region is under watch until further order to avoid a health or other emergency,” said Raipur SP Arif Shaikh. The state has opened a hotline through which residents of the area can ask for milk, ration and medicines. “The control room will specifically take calls from the people of these three areas. If they need anything, they can call on the number and we will help,” an officer from Raipur district administration said. As part of the shutdown, the government has suspended interstate bus services and tourist vehicles to contain the spread of the disease, and has asked residents of all hostels in the urban areas to vacate. The government had earlier shut schools colleges and anganwadis in the state till March 31. The examinations of open schools and state board schools have also been postponed. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel addressed the public through a social media video and asked the public to step out of their houses only if necessary. “We are ready to tackle the virus but we need to be careful, and observe isolation,” Baghel said. He said ration shops and medical shops will remain open. The shutdown caused panic across the city, with many complaining they were not warned. “We didn’t know the shops will be closed and that too indefinitely. It will affect business but I am more worried about the supplies in the house,” said Ramkumar Soni, a shop owner in Raipur. Despite government warnings, several medical shops were found to be selling masks at a higher price than usual, citing lack of supplies. “We are going to tap the travel agencies and community resources to ensure that we have the details of the people who have traveled to the state since March 1,” said the officer. Health Minister T S Singhdeo, who attended a meeting of the disaster management team, said the state has over a 1,000 beds ready for patients. “We are testing way less than we should be. I have already alerted the Central health ministry, but we need to start testing a larger group of people. Community tracing is going to be difficult. To identify infected people early, we need to make the testing criteria broader,” he said.
