Punjab’s first hotspot SBS Nagar is coronavirus-free

RINGING IN RELIEF Strict containment measures, surveillance on those coming from outside district helped curb virus spread, say administration, health department

JALANDHAR: The Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district, Punjab’s first Covid-19 hotspot , was declared as virus-free on Monday again as the two last patients were discharged after having recovered from the disease, in what officials say was a result of strict containment measures and surveillance on those coming from other areas .

The district also became containment zone-free as restrictions were lifted from its last contained village Gunachaur. “The curbs imposed on the village were removed as per the revised guidelines of the Union health ministry for containment zones. The two remaining patients were discharged from the isolation ward of Guru Nanak Mission Charitable Hospital, Dhahan Kaleran,” deputy commissioner Vinay Bublani said.

The virus outbreak took place in the district in March when it reported 18 back-to-back cases, including one death. Fourteen

family members of the deceased, Baldev Singh, a Sikh preacher who returned from Germany via Italy, were also infected.

But the district, which was counted among 10 Covid-19 hotspots in the country, did not report a single positive case between March 26 and April 24.

It was on April 22 that SBS Nagar was declared as Covidfree. Three days later, a Jammureturned Balachaur village youth, who returned from Jammu, tested positive. Later, at least 75 persons who returned from Takht Hazur Sahib Maharashtra’s Nanded, were found infected besides 10 cases with travel history.

Civil Surgeon Dr Rajinder Bhatia said, “We have treated 101 patients from SBS Nagar and 11 from other districts who were found positive here.”

“Strict enforcement of norms in containment zones was the key in curbing the spread of the virus. We conducted maximum sampling of the suspected patients or close contacts of those found infected. More than 2,100 people have been tested till date. As many as 24 villages, including 15 of Banga sub-division alone, were sealed,” Bublani said.

Additional deputy commissioner Aditya Uppal said, “We have three-tier surveillance system up to the village level to monitor the residents, especially those coming from outside the district or the state. Our ASHA and ANM workers monitoring people on the ground are assisted by 13 rapid response teams which are further supervised by senior medical officers.”

At least 10 such people who were tested positive were traced in their villagesby these workers, said Uppal. “A 25-year-old Balachaur youth secretly entered the district on April 21 night. He was detected the next day due to strong surveillance and his sample was collected,” he added.

Deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Deepika Singh, Covid-19 nodal officer, said they have launched a portal ‘Stop Covid’ to gather data of those coming from outside the district or Punjab and ensure they are kept in institutional quarantine with the health department’s help.

“We have set up 14 inter-district checkpoints where our medical teams conduct check-ups of travellers,” she added.