COVID-19 cases in Jaipur’s Ramganj spiral; efficiency of Bhilwara model comes under scrutiny

Though Rajasthan’s Bhilwara model is considered as highly effective in combating the spread of COVID-19, its implementation in densely populated areas like Ramganj remains an issue of concern for the government.

Jaipur (Rajasthan): With at least 100 hundred new COVID-19 confirmed cases reported from Jaipur’s Ramganj neighbourhood over the last three days, Rajasthan government faces a new challenge to implement much appreciated Bhilwara model to contain the spread of Coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking to ETV Bharat, Rajasthan health minister Raghu Sharma said that because of demographic differences between the two areas, it was difficult to apply the quick-action Bhilwara model at the Ramganj hotspot. The health minister said, “Bhilwara and Ramganj are different geographically and demographically. Ramganj is more populated and clustered. So the usage of the same measures as Bhilwara has not been possible at Ramganj.”

Acknowledging the possibilities of an increased number of cases from the area, Sharma told ETV Bharat that the number of positive Coronavirus cases could go up significantly when results of these tests will be released. As of yesterday, results of at least 8,000 COVID-19 tests from the area have been awaited.

Ramganj area, one of the COVID-19 hotspots in Rajasthan has more than 300 of Jaipur’s over 570 Coronavirus positive cases. The small locality has emerged as a trouble spot for the Ashok Gehlot government in the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic.

While Bhilwara district has become a highly appreciated model in the fight against the Coronavirus in Rajasthan as well as abroad, its efficiency is being questioned due to implementational problems in other localities even within the state.

Why Bhilwara Model is hailed?

In March, a doctor from a private hospital at Bhilwara tested positive of Coronavirus and following his test, other staff members were also tested. Soon the hospital became an epicentre of the Coronavirus pandemic in Rajasthan. When the district administration started contact tracing, it was found that people from 13 districts had visited the hospital during a fortnight.

While the doctor at Bangar Hospital was an asymptomatic carrier of the Coronavirus, at least 5,000 people had come in contact with the COVID-19 positive doctor. Soon the entire city was sealed and movement was restricted.

The district administration screened at least twenty lakh families from villages and ten lakh households from the city. Within two days 6,000 people were identified and kept in quarantine to break the chain of Coronavirus. Further, all patients from all districts who had visited the hospital were kept under strict isolation.