CHANDIGARH: Punjab on Wednesday reported 16 more coronavirus cases from Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana and Faridkot districts taking the state's case tally to 358. Most of these cases are the pilgrims who returned from Nanded and the students from Kota.
It was found that 12 out of the 16 cases are pilgrims who recently returned from Hazur Sahib Gurdwara in Nanded. Three are students from Kota. The driver of the tempo the pilgrims hired after staying in Nanded for 38 days has also tested positive.
All the 56 pilgrims who have so far returned from Nanded and 25 Kota students have been quarantined for 14 days at Mother and Child Hospital on Chandigarh road.
Civil surgeon of Faridkot Dr Rajinder Kumar said, "So far, two persons who returned from Nanded have tested positive. Reports of 18 other pilgrims are awaited. The total number of positive patients in the district has now touched five. we have initiated the contact tracing after quarantining the pilgrims."
Sources said more than 3,300 pilgrims had been stranded in Nanded of Maharashtra after the imposition of the nationwide lockdown. These pilgrims, who belong to different parts of Punjab, are returning to the state in batches as the state. The state government has sent 80 air-conditioned Volvo buses to get them back.