CHANDIGARH: Four more cases of coronavirus have been reported from the Union Territory of Chandigarh and a third case has come to light in Punjab. Meanwhile, Section 144 has been imposed in Chandigarh and Haryana.
Manoj Parida, Adviser, Chandigarh Administration, said, "Till now five individuals have tested positive for COVID 19 in Chandigarh. A young woman from Sector 21 of the city tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday. Now her mother, brother and cook have tested positive and been quarantined. All the three newly tested patients have been admitted to GMCH-32."
The woman had returned from the UK on Sunday and was admitted to the isolation ward at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Sector 32. Her father has tested negative. The sample of the driver will be taken again. Both the father and the driver have been home quarantined. 119 people have been traced who directly or indirectly came in contact with the family and all of them have been home
quarantined. A home quarantined stamp has been marked on the hands of 23 of these individuals.
"A woman who was admitted to the PGIMER after returning from the UK has also tested positive,’’ he said. A case had been registered against the 26-year-old woman for fleeing PGIMER.
"We got a call from the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh that the woman had fled from the hospital on Thursday," said a Punjab Police official, adding that she had been booked for potentially spreading an infection dangerous to life.
Parida also met the representatives of the Chemist Association. It has been decided that the rate of masks (basic level) will be fixed at Rs 10. The sanitisers will be sold at their MRP or below. He further clarified that sufficient stocks are available and hence people should not panic. An appeal is hereby made to buy only five masks per person, he added.
Also, the suspected individuals are being first quarantined in their own houses. As a precautionary measure, stickers will be pasted outside these houses to alert the public not to visit the premises, as they are under quarantine.
In neighbouring Punjab, a 69-year-old woman from Mohali who had recently come from the UK has tested positive for the coronavirus taking the count to three in Punjab.
Deputy Commissioner of Mohali in Punjab, Girish Dayalan, said the woman showed mild symptoms of cough and was afterwards found positive for the coronavirus. She has been admitted to the Civil Hospital, Phase 6, though she resisted treatment and created a huge ruckus.
He added that the district administration is contemplating booking her under sections 269, 270 and 188 of the IPC for an act to spread infectious diseases dangerous for others’ lives. He further said that she would be kept under observation and monitored on all health parameters. Also, the health
parameters of all those including her relatives would also be closely watched as part of the measures to prevent the disease from spreading.
Earlier, 70-year-old Baldev Singh of Pathlawa village in Nawanshahr district of the state who had recently travelled to Germany and Italy died on Wednesday at the civil hospital in Banga after testing positive for Covid-19. After his death, the district administration did not take any chances and has quarantined the whole village with a population of 3000.
It is learnt that twelve members of his family (three sons and daughters-in-law and six grandchildren), his friend from a neighbouring village and three staffers of the hospital who travelled with him abroad have been put under isolation. The Punjab Police has put up checkpoints at eight entry points, while a doctor has been posted there and a vehicle pressed into service to ensure uninterrupted supply of essential commodities to the village. The villagers have been told to stay indoors for the next fourteen days.
Deputy Commissioner of SBS Nagar Vinay Bublani said, "All the roads have been sealed and no one is being allowed to leave or enter the village. Officials are directed to provide round-the-clock water and electricity supply to the village."
Meanwhile, the Punjab government denied reports that it was shutting down Internet services in the state. Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has appealed to people not to believe in unsubstantiated information and has warned of strict action against rumour-mongers and those spreading fake news.
In Haryana, there are 18 cases, which include 14 foreigners. A woman who returned from the US and was suspected to have Covid-19 ran away from a hospital in Karnal. Meanwhile, the Haryana government has announced it would start using stamps to mark people in home quarantine, said Health Minister Anil Vij, adding that section 144 has been imposed in the state.