COVID-19: Rajasthan High court postpones municipal polls for six weeks

Amid the rising concern over the spread of Coronavirus in the state, the Rajasthan High Court on Wednesday postponed the municipal elections in the state for six weeks. The Notification for the municipal elections was scheduled to be issued on March 19 and the elections were scheduled to be held on April 5. 

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Section 144 imposed in Rajasthan

Earlier in the day Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced the imposition of Section 144 (prohibiting assembly of more than 4 people in an area) in the state. This has been done to avoid the mass gathering of people in the wake of the novel coronavirus spread. 

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Section 2 of the Rajasthan Epidemic Disease Act, 1957 imposed in the state

Rajasthan government on Tuesday had also imposed section 2 of the Rajasthan Epidemic Disease Act, 1957 in the state which prohibits the gathering of more than 50 people in public places till March 31. Rajasthan High Court on Sunday issued some instructions to its subordinate courts, including avoiding public gatherings and giving remand of prisoners through video conferencing, as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Three more cases of COVID-19

The State Health Minister on Wednesday confirmed that three people in Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu district have tested positive for coronavirus. The total COVID-19 cases in India have now reached 152.

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Coronavirus Crisis

First detected in Wuhan in December 2019, COVID-19- the novel coronavirus has affected nearly 164 countries in the world. Presently, there are over 1,93,475 confirmed cases of COVID-19 which has led to the death of at least 7,864 people. As there is no vaccine or specific antiviral medicine to deal to treat COVID-19, countries have been grappling with all possible mechanisms to contain its scope. So far, China, South Korea, Italy, and Iran have witnessed the most number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus.  

The World Health Organization has declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic. Last week, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced that Europe had become the new epicentre for the pandemic. Meanwhile, India has suspended all visas, barring for a few categories such as diplomatic and employment apart from keeping in abeyance the visa-free travel facility to OCI cardholders till April 15. The Centre has “strongly advised” Indians to avoid all non-essential travel abroad.  

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(With inputs from ANI)