Over 100 persons test coronavirus positive after attending marriage function in Haryana's Hisar

Deepender Deswal

Tribune News Service

Hisar, July 17

The chain of COVID-19 infected persons, who had attended a marriage function in Hisar, is getting longer as nearly 120 persons from Hisar and other towns who attended the wedding function have tested positive so far.

The marriage of a nephew of a well-known jeweller was held from June 28 to 29. The health officials, who are engaged in contact-tracing of the COVID-19 positive cases, stated that 150 to 200 persons had attended the function.

The team of the health officials led by biologist Dr Ramesh Punia claimed that the photographs and videography of the wedding-related events indicated that there were 150 to 200 persons. The family, although, claimed that they adhered to the guidelines and restricted the function to less than 50 persons.

The health officials also informed that the ‘mehandi’ event was organised at their residence in Dogran Mohalla on June 28 while the wedding function was organised in a marriage palace the next day.

However, a family member developed symptoms and was admitted in a private hospital on July 2, after which his COVID-19 report came out positive.

The health officials said as many as 120 persons, who were part of the chain of people who attended the marriage, have tested positive. These included 86 persons from Hisar, 22 persons in Pilibanga town of Rajasthan belonging to the family of the bride and guests from Sirsa, Fatehabad, Hansi and Ganganagar towns.

Deputy Civil Surgeon Dr Jaya Goel said subsequent testing of the family members revealed that all 18 members of the family had been found infected with COVID-19.

“The contract tracing of the persons who attended the wedding function is still to be concluded. Yesterday, five persons including the mehndi worker and her family members tested positive,” she said.

Dr Punia, who is leading the contact tracing team, informed the health authorities about the gravity of the situation on July 10 when 50 persons related to the wedding event were found COVID-19 positive.

He stated that the contact tracing history revealed that the family members not only violated the guidelines but also ignored the warnings after a bridal make-up shop owner tested positive. “The shop owner informed the family about the positive status and urged avoid gathering and got themselves tested. But the alert was ignored,” he wrote in his report.

The jeweller, however, stated that they restricted the gathering in the wedding events and did not send invitations to their neighbours and relatives. “It was unfortunate that my family and some other people have tested positive for the disease. We followed the guidelines and also adhere to the physical distancing,” he said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Priyanka Soni has constituted a team of three officials to find out laxity which resulted in infection to multiple people.