Punjab minister Kangar, deputy speaker Bhatti test positive
CHANDIGARH: Hours after attending The Independence Day functions Punjab revenue minister Gurpreet Singh Kangar, 54, and Punjab Vidhan Sabha deputy speaker Ajaib Singh Bhatti, 69, tested positive for Covid-19. While Kangar presided over the function in Mansa, Bhatti attended the function in Faridkot. Both were not wearing masks. Meanwhile, the highest single-day spike of 1,165 coronavirus cases and a record 41 fatalities pushed the Covid-19 tally in Punjab to 31,206 and the death toll to 812 on Sunday, according to a bulletin released by the state government.
BATHINDA/LUDHIANA/JALANDHAR/ PATIALA: Hours after attending The Independence Day functions Punjab revenue minister Gurpreet Singh Kangar, 54, and Punjab Vidhan Sabha deputy speaker Ajaib Singh Bhatti, 69, tested positive for Covid-19.
While Kangar presided over the function in Mansa, Bhatti attended the function in Faridkot. Both were not wearing masks.
Mansa DC Mohinder Pal said that the minister’s rapid antigen test was conducted in Mansa on Saturday after which he tested positive. Official sources said almost the entire senior district machinery is in home quarantine after meeting the minister.
Kangar had complained of sore throat after I-day event. He arrived in Mansa on Friday and met party workers, besides officials over the past two days.
Mansa senior medical officer Dr Harchand Singh said samples of 20 people, including the DC, district Congress president Manoj Bala Bansal and a few journalists were taken on Sunday.
Faridkot civil surgeon Dr Rajinder Kumar said that the deputy speaker’s rapid antigen test was conducted in Bathinda on Sunday afternoon in which he tested positive for coronavirus infection. Official sources said almost the entire senior district machinery, including divisional commissioner Ravinder Kaushik, deputy commissioner Vimal Kumar Setia, district and sessions judge Sumeet Malhotra and SSP Swarandeep Singh, are in home quarantine as they came close contact of the deputy speaker.
Former Malout Akali MLA Harpreet Singh Kotbhai has also tested positive for Covid-19. Muktsar nodal officer Dr Paramjit Singh Sandhu said the samples of Kotbhai were taken in Chandigarh. Two of his children have also tested positive. The family is staying in Chandigarh.
Meanwhile, the highest singleday spike of 1,165 coronavirus cases and a record 41 fatalities pushed the Covid-19 tally in Punjab to 31,206 and the death toll to 812 on Sunday, according to a bulletin released by the state government.
Fourteen deaths were reported from Ludhiana, seven from Patiala, four from Jalandhar, three each from Amritsar and Sangrur, two from Ferozepur and one each from Barnala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Fazilka, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Moga and Mohali, the bulletin stated.
Among the districts which reported fresh cases in the last 24 hours, Ludhiana recorded 315 fresh infections, Jalandhar 187,
Ferozepur 96, Mohali 91, Patiala 90, Gurdaspur 74, Moga 64 and Amritsar 37, the bulletin said.
A total of 568 patients recuperated from the disease in a day taking the total number of recoveries in Punjab so far to 19,431.
The state government bulletin stated that there are 10,963 active COVID-19 cases in the state as of now, of whom 35 are in a critical state and on ventilator support while 217 are on oxygen support.