Govt's Covid-19 Response Marred by Confusion, Says Akhilesh Yadav After Home Quarantine Rule

As Covid-19 total tally crossed the 50,000-mark in Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party Chief and former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav attacked Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government in the state, alleging that situation in the state was far from under control.

Describing the state government as a victim of confusion, scepticism and direction-lessness, Akhilesh said that the situation created due to the Covid-19 pandemic is out of control of the government.

"The BJP government in Uttar Pradesh is a victim of confusion, doubt and direction-lessness. Whether it is law and order or corona pandemic, conditions are no longer under its control. The administrative machinery is also clueless about the situation. There are a lot of assurances from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, but none of them are being fulfilled. The coronavirus crisis is increasing rather than decreasing and the two-day weekend lockdown does not show any significant effect. The increasing number of infections and deaths is also alarming. In hospitals, Covid-19 infected patients are facing many problems," the former Chief Minister said in a statement.

Referring to floods in various parts of the state, Akhilesh said that a lot of lives have been due to heavy rains, but the people have not yet got any relief from the state government.

"The situation is serious due to flood in many parts of the state. Life is disturbed due to heavy rains in various districts. Many rivers have started flowing above the danger mark, which has led to erosion in many villages. Normal life is being severely affected due to water-logging. In many places people are sitting on the roofs of their houses in villages. They have are yet to get any relief from the government," he said.

The SP chief further alleged that the law and order situation in the state has deteriorated in the BJP rule from the very beginning. He claimed that incidents of murder, looting, rape and kidnapping have been taking place every day.

He also stated that journalists are being made victims of police misbehavior under BJP rule and their duty is also considered as a crime by police.

"It is a blow to the right given in the Constitution of democracy and freedom of expression. Any attempt to weaken the fourth pillar of the country will be unacceptable," he said.

The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday allowed home quarantine of asymptomatic patients after the state reported a surge in the number of coronavirus cases.

1,924 confirmed infections were reported on Monday, taking the total number of cases 51,447. The death toll rose to 1,192 with new fatalities. Lucknow continued to be worst-affected with 282 fresh Covid-19 cases, taking the number of active cases to 2,719 in the state capital.

The state government claimed that the decision for home quarantine was taken to improve the recovery rate and to encourage people not to hide their illness. Meanwhile, the state government denied any shortage of beds of Covid-19 infrastructure in the state.

Fearing that there might be a spurt in cases as a large number of asymptomatic people were hiding their infections, Adityanath said that it would be essential for all patients and their families to comply with the protocol.

Besides, he said that people should be apprised of the necessary precautions for which an awareness campaign should also be launched with the help of media. The chief minister CM Yogi also emphasised on using masks and strict implementation of social distancing norms.

In number of Covid-19 cases, Lucknow was followed by Kanpur Nagar with 174 cases, Varanasi with 122 cases, Gautam Buddh Nagar with 107 cases, Jaunour with 71 cases, Ghaziabad with 70 cases, Ghazipur with 68 cases, Prayagraj with 67 cases, Gorakhpur with 66 cases, Jhansi with 59 cases, Bareilly with 55 cases, Chandauli with 35 cases and Sonbhadra with 35 cases to name a few. No fresh cases were reported from Amroha, Hamirpur, Chitrakoot, Lakhimpur.

Speaking to reporters, Principal Secretary Health Amit Mohan Prasad said, "The number of active cases across the state on Monday was 19,137 while 30,831 people were discharged from hospitals."

On Covid-19 testing in the state, Prasad said, "More than 43,000 samples were tested on Sunday as the total number of samples tested so far crossed the 15 lakh mark. The UP Health department will also be launching door-to-door screening in the containment zones."