Himachal reports 15 new cases, state tally now 184

Tribune News Service
Dharamsala/Shimla/Solan, May 23

Himachal reported 15 new coronavirus cases on Friday, taking the number of COVID-19 cases in the state to 184.

Fourteen of Saturday’s 15 new cases were people who recently returned from other states. Among those were nine people who recently returned from Mumbai---a development that has caused some worry among authorities.

Six such people have tested positive in Kangra and four in Mandi.

Those who tested positive in Kangra had all returned on May 18 and were immediately quarantined at Paror near Palampur.

The last case in Kangra was a 68-year-old resident of Sari Tanda who recently came back from Jalandhar.

All those who tested positive have been moved to Covid Containment Centres (CCCs) in Baijnath and Dharamsala.

This takes Kangra’s tally of COVID-19 to 49.

Four more people who returned from Mumbai tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Mandi district, a health official said.

The four cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) include three members of a family – a woman, her son and daughter. They were already in a quarantine centre, Chief Medical Officer Jeevanand Chauhan said.

The woman's husband also returned recently from Mumbai, but his report was negative, Chauhan said.

A 61-year-old taxi driver, a resident of Mumbai, also tested positive for COVID-19. He brought some residents from the commercial capital a few days ago and was quarantined after symptoms of influenza like illness, the official said.

Solan reported five new coronavirus cases. Five people who recently returned from West Bengal tested positive in Nalagarh, Solan Medical Officer Dr NK Gupta said.

Two of the five were siblings. All five returned to the state in a truck on May 19, and have been in institutional quarantine at Ramshehar with 91 other people since, he said.   

They have now been moved to ESIC Covid  hospital at Katha in Barotiwala for treatment.  

The district now has 10 active cases.

Deputy Commissioner Harikesh Meena said all 14 people who tested positive for the disease in Hamirpur had recently returned from Mumbai. A majority of them are in quarantine centres at different places.

The number of coronavirus cases among people coming back from Mumbai---the metropolis with the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country---has set off alarm bells in the state administration.

Some 800 people coming back from Mumbai on Friday were the latest batch of arrivals from the metropolis. 

Himachal has so far reported four deaths from COVID-19.--- With PTI