Yogi's capabilities put to test as COVID-19 cases mount in UP

Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state in the nation, is facing a surge in coronavirus positive cases and fatalities, turning the spotlight to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's administrative capabilities.

With a population of 23 crore, which would amount to the combined population of the next two populous states Maharashtra (12 crore) and Bihar (11 crore), the UP administration has a tough task at hand.

The enormity of the task can also be gauged from the fact that its population is just a tad below the combined figure of the five southern states taken together - Tamil Nadu 7.6 crore, Karnataka 6.6 crore, Andhra Pradesh 5.2 crore, Telangana 3.8 crore and Kerala 3.5 crore.

However, despite the initial slow growth in number of positive cases across UP, the scenario now is grim.

The number of positive cases in state capital Lucknow and Agra is rising.

This has also raised serious questions as to whether the lockdown alone will prove to be a deterrent to check the pandemic.

The total number of COVID-19 positive cases in Uttar Pradesh has crossed 805, according to the state Health Department. The highest number has been reported from Lucknow -100, followed by Agra and Noida.

Official sources also indicate that 471 out of the state’s 805 confirmed cases have a direct or indirect link with the Tablighi Jamaat congregation.

The go-ahead given to pool testing in selected areas of the state is likely to accelerate the pace of testing in UP.

Officials say this would be effective in checking the spread of the disease, especially in view of the lifting of some lockdown restrictions after April 20, as per the government guidelines.

Tough stance

In dealing with the crisis, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has adopted a tough stance in ordering slapping of National Security Act (NSA) on those attacking the health and police teams, and those violating the lockdown restrictions. Incidentally, Yogi, who completed three years as the chief minister in March, has no previous experience of handling any ministry at either the state or central level.

As a five-time Lok Sabha member from Gorakhpur, he was not even a familiar face in the state office of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Lucknow, preferring to quietly handle his responsibility as the Mahant of Gorakhnath Peeth in Gorakhpur.

If his appointment as UP Chief Minister was an experiment of the BJP, then the coronavirus pandemic came as a test of his ability to deal with a crisis throwing up new dimensions every day.

In March itself, Yogi had planned a grand celebration to celebrate his government's three years in office, a few days after Holi.

But by then, the COVID-19 situation had started acquiring serious proportions and the celebration was postponed on March 18. Subsequently, Holi, Navratri in Ayodhya and Ram Navami festivities too were put on hold.

That in itself was quite unlike Yogi as he is known to be a fierce advocate of religious rituals.

Not only this, he also appealed to the people to either put on hold all religious, spiritual, social and cultural events and also announced he too would do the same.

Follow his boss

Right from announcing a lockdown in 15 districts of the state on March 21, three days ahead of the first 21-day nationwide lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Yogi has simply been following what Modi has suggested.

The focus of his strategy has been to enforce a strict lockdown. In fact, the state police personnel have been involved not only in lockdown enforcement, but also in taking distress calls and maintaining supplies.

When the sudden crisis involving members of the Tablighi Jamaat having travelled to different districts of UP posed the threat of the virus spreading to new areas, Yogi was in his elements as he directed the police to impose tight restrictions in affected areas.

In addition to forming special teams to deal with the crisis, to decide the easing of restrictions and allowing certain activities, he has been holding video conferencing with all division and district level administrators.

Pool testing

Since the numbers in UP will be crucial in determining how India as such deals with the coronavirus crisis, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had on April 14 given permission for pool testing to Uttar Pradesh in order to help maximise the testing of samples. According to a senior Health Department official, pool testing meant testing several samples at a time.

The process is likely to boost the daily testing capacity of the state health department. Incidentally, Uttar Pradesh is the first state to start pool testing.

During pool testing, if 10 samples are mixed and tested for COVID-19 and if they test negative, then it will be an indicator that all samples are negative.

But if the test is not negative, then individual testing will be done.

This will increase the testing capacity as well as accelerate the process. As part of the pool testing protocol, 150 samples were taken from buffer zones of hotspots in Agra. It has now been decided to replicate the method in other districts.