Twenty-three people tested positive for COVID-19 in Punjab on Saturday, taking the state's tally to 234. Fifteen of these were reported from Patiala, setting the alarm bells ringing. While nine of the infecetd are contacts of a trader who had allegedly been selling school books despite the curfew, six others were contacts of a social worker from Rajpura who tested positive on Friday.
So far, 26 people tested positive in Patiala, and the authorities have screened over 25,000 families. Patiala DC Kumar Amit had earlier ordered screening of all city residents and banned langars (free kitchens) in the city to prevent possible community transmission.
Six cases were reported from Jalandhar; four among them contacts of a person who tested positive earlier. One each case was reported from Ludhiana and Mohali.
Deaths
Two frontline warriors succumbed to COVID-19 in the last two days. While 58-year-old revenue official Gurmel Singh died on Friday, Ludhiana ACP Anil Kohli (52), who had tested positive, died due to multiple organ failure on Saturday. Kohli had tested positive on April 13 and was to be given plasma therapy, but died before this could be done.
Kohli's wife, a sub-inspector, an ASI and a mandi official, who were in contact with him, too have tested positive.
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh condoled the demise of both the frontline warriors and announced a compensation of Rs 50 lakh to the families. “In this moment of crisis, losing our COVID-19 warriors is a big loss for state. We have decided to pay 50 lakh ex-gratia to their next of kin. While I pray such an incident never happens again, if it does, we shall pay the same to all those who die in the line of duty,” said the chief minister.
The state authorities have also sealed a private hospital in Rajpura as a woman who tested positive from here had visited the hospital before being shifted to the government isolation facility. The entire staff has been quarantined and patients are being screened.
Meanwhile, Chandigarh has been declared a containment zone. “Since in Chandigarh corona outbreak is scattered and not confined to a specific pocket, area, village or cluster, entire district has been declared a containment zone”, said UT adviser Manoj Parida.
Parida further said any outsider entering the city will be quarantined either in homes or government facilities.
Meanwhile, Hoshiarpur district has has made to the list of 22 districts identified by the Centre with no COVID-19 cases in the past 14 days, and may see some curfew relaxation in the coming days.