First Covid case in UT as woman tests positive

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 18

A young woman tested positive for Covid-19 in the city late tonight.

The woman, a city resident, had returned from the UK on Sunday morning. She developed fever and cold on Monday, after which she was admitted to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32. She tested positive as per a report received from the Department of Virology, PGIMER.

She is the first reported positive case of Covid in the city.

Boating banned in lake, wildlife sanctuary closed

To prevent the spread of Covid-19, the picturesque Sukhna Lake has been partially shut for visitors.

Among a slew of measurers, the UT Tourism Department today banned boating in the lake and also ordered the closure of the amusement park adjacent to the lake. The department also asked sketch artistes to vacate the area.

The department also stopped the “hop on hop off” tourist coach, a major tourist attraction due to its open roof. The double-decker coach moves in a circular route covering all major tourist destinations, including Rose Garden, the Museum and Art Gallery, Sector 10, the War Memorial and Bougainvillea Garden, Sector 3, Rock Garden and Sukhna Lake.

The UT Forest Department has also shut the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary for visitors. The sanctuary spreads over 2,600 hectares. It forms part of the Sukhna catchment area falling in the Shivalik Hills, which are ecologically sensitive and geologically unstable, and are highly prone to soil erosion during rains.

Air passengers screened

The Mohali Health Department on Wednesday screened domestic as well as international air passengers at the airport. A total of 314 passengers of two international flights were screened by health teams. As many as 137 passengers of the Sharjah flight and 177 passengers of the Dubai flight were screened. The district epidemiologist, Dr Harmandeep Kaur, said, “No symptoms were found in any of the air passengers. However, all of them were told to stay in home isolation.”