COVID-19 pandemic: Madhya Pradesh's Barwani seals border with Maharashtra to curb spread of coronavirus

Barwani: Authorities in Barwani have decided to seal the Madhya Pradesh district’s border with neighbouring Maharashtra to check the spread of coronavirus infection, an official said on Monday. The number of COVID-19 cases has been increasing in Barwani, district Collector Shivraj Singh Verma told PTI. The main reason is that the district shares border with Maharashtra, where there has been a spike in coronavirus infection, he said. “Hence, instructions have been issued to officials to seal all the roads on the border adjoining Maharashtra, barring the Agra-Mumbai Road and Khetia Road,” Verma said. He appealed to people to following the coronavirus prevention guidelines and get vaccinated. Verma said the district shares 150 to 200-km-long border with Maharashtra. A large number of people cross the border every day for work. To a question, the collector said health screening of people travelling in cars and other vehicles on the Agra- Mumbai Road is not possible due to high traffic on the route. However, police, health department and the Barwani administration have been conducting screening at 10 places in the district. Thermal screening of travellers is being done and those found with high body temperature and being advised home quarantine, the official said. Meanwhile, residents of the district’s Warla and Balwadi villages, located on the border adjoining Maharashtra,imposed a lockdown on their own with effect from Monday in a bid to control the spread of coronavirus infection. Balwadi resident Abhay Bihani said the self-imposed lockdown will continue for the entire week, except Wednesday when shops will be opened for two hours. On Sunday, 35 new cases of coronavirus were reported in Barwani, raising the infection count in the district to 3,291, as per the state health bulletin.