Punjab reported two more confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) cases — one each from Mohali and Nawanshahr — on Monday, taking the total tally to 23. Both had acquired the virus after coming in contact with the positive cases reported from the two districts earlier.
The person found positive in Nawanshahr (Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar) is the grandson of the 70-year-old Baldev Singh, who died of cardiac arrest on March 18 and later found to be corona positive.
In second case, the 80-year-old woman, who was the landlady of the 27-year-old woman who was earlier tested positive, if Mohali’s Phase-V resident.
With this, Nawanshahr reported the highest number of cases (15) in the state, following by five in Mohali, two in Hoshiarpur, and one in Amritsar.
In all, 251 suspected cases have been reported from the state, and out of these 183 samples were tested negative for COVID-19, while the result of 45 samples is awaited as 23 samples have already been tested positive.
The state, which has registered one death due to the deadly virus, has put around 30,000 persons under home quarantine. “The 22 patients are in isolation wards and are stable. Punjab’s 18 districts have not reported any positive coronavirus case till now,” said IAS officer Rahul Tewari, appointed head of the State Control Room set up at Chandigarh to give authenticated real-time information about COVID-19 in Punjab.
Moga has, till date, reported no positive case of coronavirus even as a total of 1,384 NRIs had arrived in the district till Sunday during the past seven weeks. The District Administration has been able to trace 1,199 of them, and put them under isolation, efforts were on to trace the others.
Mohali woman Kulwant Kaur, found coronavirus-positive, has been admitted to the isolation ward of Kharar Civil Hospital. She came into contact with the 27-year-old woman employee and friend of a Mohali-based showroom owner’s 23-year-old daughter, who was the first to be declared positive in Chandigarh. The 27-year-old had gone to Amritsar airport to pick her friend after her return from the UK.
Mohali Deputy Commissioner Girish Dayalan said that the District Administration is taking all possible measures to provide top-notch medical care to the affected people. “Anyone who comes into contact with coronavirus positive or symptomatic persons would have to undergo precautionary quarantine,” said the DC while making it clear that home quarantine doesn't mean that a person is symptomatic to or is coronavirus positive, but it is just a precautionary measure.
Tewari said that the State Government is keeping a constant vigil on the situation which due to its dynamic nature is changing rapidly. “The Chief Minister is in constant touch with Chief Ministers of other states and with the national authorities including the PMO with regards to major issues like the closing of inter-state movement, relaxing due dates related to financial compliances and the like,” he said.
He said that in case anyone feels the symptoms of this disease which broadly are cough, fever, difficulty in breathing, body ache, etc, she or he may, as a responsible citizen, isolate herself or himself in their house and contact at the nearest health facility immediately and call 104 simultaneously.
“If you have any problems of any type, you can contact 24x7 Operational Helpline 104 or you can contact your local District helpline details of which are given at homepage of website www.pbhealth.gov.in,” said Tewari in the video message.
