Udaipur was sitting at a comfortable 22 cases around 3pm on 8 May. All of a sudden a containment zone in the center of the walled city erupted. 57 positive cases took the number to 79 and Udaipur was national news for all the wrong reasons.  The debris of the blast had barely settled, when towards late night, 6 more cases took the number to 85.  As the town woke up to a highly regulated morning, the cases too shot up over the night. The number 100 was staring at us in the wee hours of the morning.

The 100 plus story

As of 2pm today, with 23 new cases for the day, Udaipur is sitting at a highly uncomfortable 102.  Over 75% of the positive cases come from a very congested area in the walled city, Kanji ka Hata, where a 30 year old home guard was found positive on 7 May, following which, samples were taken and the results were concentrated in one area.  As per CMHO Dr Dinesh Kharade, 79 cases of the 102 are from the same location, i.e. Kanji ka Hata. Of the 23 found positive today, 2 are from Hiran Magri, 1 is from Vallabhnagar, 13 more from Kanji ka Hata, 5 from the family of the lady from Jogiwara who tested positive yesterday, and 80 year old from Maheshwari Sehri and one a resident of Moti Chohatta.

The Positive Side

Though the number of cases have shot up, the area from which the majority of cases have come, is just one.  There is no indication of a community spread.  79 cases are from Kanji ka Hatai, where the Home Guard lives.  12 members of his immediate family were tested, of which only 4 registered positive. Hence it cannot be said that the home guard is soleley responsible for the spread.  Contact tracing is being done.  Another rumour in circulation is that of his brother who came from Indore. It is being said that he was infected. However, it was clarified that this gentleman had come to Udaipur around 4 months back.

Most of the positive cases are asymptomatic.  Staff of UMC and UIT are being screened and tested. 80% of the staff have been covered and the remaining will be tested today.  The second test of the Home Guard has resulted in a negative result. The man who tested positive from Bhupalpura, Vallabhnagar, had come from Surat some days back and never left home. Which means that he brought the infection from Surat.  This update is being confirmed by the CMHO.

Prohibition Orders

The District Collector, in her order issued late night on 8 May, declared the entire municipal limits of Udaipur to be a containment zone, with all relief given on 4 May revoked.  The order said that the restrictions and permissions as on 3 May will be now be status quo.  However, papers in the morning gave different picture. The analysis in the papers for today's order said that all services except for medical and grocery will be prohibited. There is no response from the Collectors office on the status of the containment.

Apart from the existing curfew in four of the cities police station, viz. Sukher, Pratapnagar, Hiran Magri and Savina, prohibitory orders have been issued for all areas under Dhanmandi, Ghantaghar and Surajpol.  Dewali (Neemuchmata) and Haridas ji ki Magri under the Ambamata police station will also be under prohibitionary orders, as per the orders issued by the Collector and followed up by the Superintendent of Police, Udaipur. The prohibition will be in place till 22 May. 

The entire law and order situation will be under the command of Addl SP Gopal Swarup Mewara, who will be assisted by Rajeev Joshi (east), Mahendra Paarik (west), Bhavani Singh (SHO, Ghantaghar), Manish Charan (SHO, Dhanmandi), Ramsumer (SHO, Surajpol) and Laxman Ram Bishnoi (SHO, Ambamata).