4-fold rise in corona cases in Punjab in a day; tally reaches 14
Six of Banga man’s family infected; among other fresh cases are 3 from Mohali and 1 from Amritsar, Hoshiarpur each
CHANDIGARH : Eleven more persons were tested positive for the coronavirus in Punjab on Saturday, taking the total tally from three to 14. Seven persons from the Doaba region, including six family members of the 70-yearold man of Banga who died due to Covid-19 on Wednesday, tested positive for the disease.
SBS NAGAR/HOSHIARPUR/AMRITSAR : Eleven more persons were tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Punjab on Saturday, taking the total tally of those affected in the state to 14.
Seven persons from the Doaba region, including six family members of the 70-year-old man of Banga in SBS district who died due to Covid-19 on Wednesday, tested positive for the disease.
Among the fresh cases reported included three from Mohali and one from Amritsar.
The family members of the septuagenarian victim include his three sons, 36-year-old daughter, 40-year-old daughterin-law and a granddaughter aged 17. All the members were shifted to the SBS Nagar civil hospital on Friday night from their village Pathlawa where they were kept in isolation. They are in a stable condition, the health department said.
Samples of the six family members were tested at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, while those of the Hoshiarpur man were tested at Government Medical College (GMC), Amritsar.
GARHSHANKAR MAN CAME IN HIS CONTACT
The seventh positive person is a 68-year-old man of Moranwali village in Hoshiarpur district’s Garhshankar subdivision who was in contact with the elderly victim from Banga.
After contact tracing, a health department team took him and five members of his family to the Hoshiarpur civil hospital on Thursday night. His samples were sent to the Government Medical College, Amritsar, and he was tested positive. The family members had objected to their quarantine and villagers even protested outside the civil hospital’s emergency ward on Friday demanding their release.
The members include a twoyear-old.
After preliminary examination, the five family members were sent back to their village. They have been kept in isolation at home. Hoshiarpur civil surgeon Dr Jasbir Singh said the family is under “specific observation”.
To prevent the spread of Covid-1 9, the SBS Nagar and Hoshiarpur district administrations have started pasting stickers outside the houses of suspected individuals who have been home quarantined.
The SBS Nagar deputy commissioner issued prohibitory orders on ‘home quarantine. The DC directed that every NRI be kept under 14-day home quarantine and if anyone violates the order action will be taken under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code.
AMRITSAR PATIENT RETURNED FROM UK ON MARCH 19
The patient found positive in Amritsar is a 36-year-old man who returned from the United Kingdom three days ago. He was tested ‘positive’ in confirmatory medical tests, taking the number of confirmed corona patients in Amritsar district to two.
“The 36-year old man is a resident of Guru Ki Wadali village in Amritsar district. He landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on March 19. After landing, he checked in a hotel in Delhi and called his relatives in Amritsar. He informed them that he was suffering from cough and fever and therefore instead of taking a flight to reach Amritsar, he will come by the Shatabdi Express train,” said civil surgeon Dr Prabhdeep Kaur Johal.
“The health department immediately took him to the isolation ward of Guru Nanak Dev Hospital (GNDH) and sent his blood and throat swab samples to the Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) at GMC, Amritsar, for testing. He is stable,” Dr Johal added.
The health department has started a drive to trace his co-passengers who were aboard the flight and the Shatabdi express train.
In Mohali, a day after an NRI woman (69) visiting the city from the UK tested positive for coronavirus, her 73-year-old sister accompanying her was also found infected with the disease. They are admitted to Fortis Hospital.
A 42-year-old resident of Sector 69, Mohali, who also flew back from the UK and got admitted to Government Multi-Specialty
Hospital, Sector 16, Chandigarh, was tested positive.
A primary contact of Chandigarh’s first coronavirus patient, a 23-year-old woman resident of Sector 21 who had tested positive on March 18, was also tested positive. The 25-year-old woman is a resident of Phase 5, Mohali.
DUBAI-RETURNED MAN +VE IN PRELIM SCAN
A Punjab resident, who returned from Dubai two days ago, has been tested ‘positive’ for coronavirus in his preliminary test conducted at the Government Medical College Amritsar, on Saturday. “He has been admitted to the isolation ward of Guru Nanak Dev Hospital and his final report is expected to come on Sunday evening,” said Dr Sujata Sharma, principal, GMC, Amritsar.
28 TEAMS FOR NRIS’ CHECK-UP IN SBS NAGAR
SBS Nagar additional deputy commissioner (ADC general) Aditya Uppal said 28 teams were constituted for check-up of NRIs across the district. He said of the 3,749 NRIs with recent travel history who are in the district currently, nearly 40% were home quarantined.
The Hoshiarpur district administration ordered setting up of police check-points at Moranwali and no one was allowed to leave the village. The administration home quarantined around 1,000 NRIs while 200 people of Pathlawa village who came in contact with the deceased were kept under close surveillance. In Jalandhar district’s Phagwara, 30 people, including 19 family members and neighbours of a 82 -year-old UK-returned man who recently died, and 11 bank staffers with symptoms were quarantined.
Pathlawa village in Banga remained sealed with medical teams continuously monitoring the situation.