LEH: The Union territory of Ladakh recorded the biggest spike in coronavirus cases as 124 people tested positive for the disease during the past two days, taking the total number of cases in the region to 239, officials said on Friday.
While 20 fresh cases of COVID-19 were reported from the twin districts of Leh and Kargil on Thursday, 104 new cases were reported on Friday which is also the largest single-day spike in the Union territory since the outbreak of the infection in March, the officials said.
Of the 104 cases, 69 persons tested positive in Kargil and 36 others in Leh district, the officials said while adding that Leh district had also witnessed 20 new cases on Thursday.
One person had died of coronavirus in Leh, while 62 others were cured and subsequently discharged from the hospitals.
The number of active cases in the region stands at 176 -- 102 in Kargil and 74 in Leh -- and the condition of all of them is stable', the officials said.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Councillor, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (Leh) Gyal P Wangyal on Friday convened a meeting in presence of Ladakh Member Parliament Jamyang Tsering Namgyal at Council Secretariat here to discuss the prevailing situation due to the sudden rise in COVID-19 cases in the district.
Heads of various religious organizations also took part in the meeting through video conferencing which discussed at length various issues related to containment of the coronavirus spread in the district, the officials said.
They said the issue of recent lapses in the handling of COVID-19 positive cases in the district came up for discussion, besides the need for strict implementation of home quarantine, especially by civil society in view of the limited reach and manpower of the civil administration and police.
The meeting strongly felt the need for a comprehensive standard operating procedure (SOP) as per the situation in the UT by involving all the stakeholders, the officials said.
Later, the CEC in a letter addressed to Ladakh Lieutenant Governor R K Mathur requested his intervention in the matter on priority for framing a comprehensive SOP by involving all the stakeholders at the earliest, the officials added.