Groom, father held as over 100 attend wedding in containment zone

LUDHIANA: Defying the Covid norms, more than 100 people gathered at a marriage function at a community centre in Islamgunj, prompting the police to arrest the groom, his father and 12 attendees.

The Punjab government had recently issued revised guidelines restricting marriage gatherings to 30. Islamgunj has been declared as a micro-containment zone by the authorities.

According to the police, the attendees were not wearing masks and not maintaining social distancing.

An FIR has been lodged against Gurjant Singh, his father Sukhwinder Singh of Islamgunj area, attendees Nirmal Singh of Manjeet Nagar, Gurpreet Singh and Iqbal Singh of Islamgunj, Lucky, Gurwinder Singh, Ravinder Singh, Ranjeet Singh, Dharminder Singh, Sham Singh, Raju Singh, Gurdev Singh, Gurjant Singh of unidentified areas, besides Bheem Singh, Manpreet Singh and Sukhwinder Singh, members of the managing committee of the community centre.

The case was registered under Sections of 188 (disobedience of orders duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (whoever unlawfully or negligently does any act which is likely to spread the infection of any disease dangerous to life), 270 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the IPC and Section 3 of the Epidemic Disease Act.

DOCTOR AMONG 26 TEST POSITIVE IN SOLAN

A doctor was among the 26 people who tested positive in Solan district. Deputy commissioner KC Chaman said a 42-year-old man in Nalagarh and a 25-year-old from Karuana have tested positive in random sampling for influenzalike-illness symptoms.

Four patients, including a 56-year-old doctor, are direct contacts of a Covid-19 patient from Karuana. Seven primary contacts of another patient have also contracted the disease.

Two people have travel history from the other states while remaining ten patients were in institutional quarantine. One case was reported in the district late evening.

Solan district, particularly the Baddi-barotiwala-nalagarh (BBN) industrial belt emerged as the new Covid-19 hotspot in the state earlier this month. Of the total 555 cases reported in the state this month as many as 221 are from Solan, mostly from BBN area. The district also has the maximum 212 active cases.

Meanwhile, spurt in the Covid-19 cases in Nahan town, the

administrative headquarters of Sirmaur district, has set alarm bells ringing for the authorities. The Govindgarh locality of the town has emerged new hotspot in the state. Twenty-people have tested positive for the virus in the locality on Sunday. Among the patients are 15 women, nine men and two children. The patients are in the age group of 2 to 57.

FIVE CASES IN KANGRA

Five people, including an Indian Army soldier, have tested positive in Kangra. Three patients including a woman have travel history to Delhi and one patient had returned from Surat in Gujarat.

1,500 CASES IN 122 DAYS

Himachal breached the 1500mark on 122nd day of reporting its first case on March 20. The 1400mark was crossed on July 17. Special secretary (health) Nipun Jindal said active cases have climbed to 436 while 1,059 patients have been cured so far. Till date, 1,15,298 samples have been tested