UK-returned ragi among 5 test +ve in Punjab

Tribune Reporters

Chandigarh/Jalandhar, April 1

With five more persons testing positive today, the total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases has reached 46 in the state.

As per the Health Department’s media bulletin, three cases have been reported SAS Nagar and one each from Ludhiana and Amritsar.

The case reported from Amritsar is worrisome as the affected person is Bhai Nirmal Singh Khalsa who was a former Hazoori Ragi at the Golden Temple. With this, the district has reported its second positive case. A Padma Shri recipient for his services in the field of arts, Nirmal Singh has been active in religious circles which included holding kirtan darbars and attending prominent events. With his residence in densely populated Sultanwind area in the city, the development has put a mammoth task ahead of the civil and health administration. The police have started barricading the streets leading to his residence. Health teams have been deployed to get details of contacts from the family members and residents.

Officials said Nirmal Singh was admitted at Guru Ram Das Charitable Hospital initially and was referred to Government Medical College on March 30 after he had requested for a Covid test. He had been facing difficulty in breathing due to cough.

Although he had returned from the UK in mid-February, he had recently travelled to Chandigarh and Delhi for his religious activities. The health officials stated that his travel history was being checked. Six family members of Bhai Nirmal Singh have been placed under quarantine. Members of his family – residents of the Lohian Khas village in Jalandhar have been taken to the isolation ward in Jalandhar. His daughter, who had gone to visit him in Amritsar for 10 days, is suffering from a mild fever. Those who have been moved into quarantine include her 95-year-old grandfather, 93-year-old grandmother and three more relatives – including a 33-year-old female and a nine-year-old boy. Among the three persons found positive from SAS Nagar, two acquired the infection from a Covid-positive couple of Chandigarh which returned from Canada and the third got infection from a contact of foreign traveller.

As per the state Health Department, samples of total 1,260 suspected cases were sent for testing of which 1,149 were found negative and reports of 65 were awaited. Total 46 persons have been found positive from seven districts. The state has reported four casualties so far.

The cases include 19 from SBS Nagar, 10 from SAS Nagar, six from Hoshiarpur, five from Jalandhar, three from Ludhiana, two from Amritsar and one from Patiala. No confirmed case has been reported from rest of the 16 districts.