With 87 per cent recovery rate, corona spread slows down in Taj city

With six new cases, Agra's COVID-19 tally till late Tuesday evening was 870. The city is witnessing a recovery rate of 87.47 per cent, which has brought a sense of relief to the administration.

The daily new cases of Covid-19 patients has remained under ten for over eleven days in a row. On Monday, there were seven new cases. The highest number of cases, 54, was on May 3. And since then, the recovery rate in the city has shown a consistent improvement.

District Magistrate P.N.Singh said so far 761 had recovered and returned home. The number of active cases was 76. So far 12,384 samples had been collected, he said.

In neighbouring Firozabad, eight new cases were reported and Mathura had seven new positive cases.

Meanwhile, the mercury touched 46.1 degrees Celsius. Weathermen said, the wave could continue till Saturday. The rising temperature has not only triggered stress but also increased the city's unending water woes. Late Tuesday evening half the city was without electricity due to an increased demand and technical fault.

The city administration has clearly indicated that till May 31, people should not expect any relaxation in the lockdown restrictions. Teams of health workers were conducting screening in the hotspots and mobile vans with loud speakers were continuously blaring Covid-19 related messages, to prepare people to learn to be on their own, once the lockdown is lifted.

Though the Agra model came in for sharp criticism following a surge in cases, after the Tablighi episode, the initiative of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister to station a team of six senior bureaucrats from Lucknow, for a week in Agra, has helped tone up the lax administration and streamline health services. This has resulted in better management, and containment of the infection in the 44 hotspots.

The district administration's strategy to deal with the interstate workers' influx and provide transport, food and Medicare, has won many hearts. "Initially, there was some dragging of feet, as the administration itself lacked a focus, but once Yogi spelt out his strategy and was seen to lead from the front, the district authorities, the railways and the roadways, along with the local good samaritans, collectively addressed the issue bringing relief in a matter of few days," social activist Shravan Kumar Singh said.