Coronavirus cases in Uttar Pradesh reached 14,091 on Wednesday, with cases in Noida surpassing that of Agra, The Indian Express reported. Gautam Buddha Nagar is the worst-affected district in the state with 1,099 cases and the highest number of active cases at 545. This is followed by Agra with 1,075 cases.
Last week, the Uttar Pradesh government told the Supreme Court that it will allow only essential services to and from the national Capital, as the source of infection in 45% of coronavirus cases in Noida and Ghaziabad was traced back to Delhi. The court was hearing a petition regarding inter-state travel restrictions imposed in Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Gautam Buddha Nagar, comprising Noida and Greater Noida, is part of the National Capital Region and shares its borders with Delhi.
Kanpur Nagar, Meerut, Ghaziabad, and Lucknow are the other districts in the state with a rising case load. On an average, Uttar Pradesh has recorded 471 cases daily.
“Recently, a jawan of our 47th Battalion tested positive around two days ago, after which we decided to test his contacts,” Inspector General Anil Kumar Rai said. “We found that 42 of our jawans were positive. They were on duty different places in Lucknow, but their food used to be prepared at one place. We are trying our best that all recover soon as some of them are above 50 years of age. We are also tracing others who might have come in contact with these jawans. There might be a few gazetted officers who keep going for checking.”
A special helpline center of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath was also identified as the centre of a new cluster of cases after 85 staffers tested positive.
Principal Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said that they have arranged at least 1,01,236 isolation beds in 563 facilities so far. He added that only 139 facilities have active patients and the rest are not occupied.
Earlier in the day, Adityanath held a meeting with officers of the coronavirus management team. So far, 8,904 patients have recovered from the infection in the state.
Follow today’s live updates on coronavirus here.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!