With another 33 novel coronavirus positive cases reported from Punjab in the past 24 hours, the State on Wednesday witnessed the highest spike in a single day. Before this, Punjab reported maximum 28 cases in a day on April 22. The State’s tally has reached 375, with 19 deaths till date.
The massive surge can be attributed to those returning to Punjab from other states. Of the 33 cases, 27 are related from the returnees, both from Nanded Sahib (in Maharashtra) and Kota (Rajasthan). The number is expected to go further with more results pouring in.
In all, 35 Nanded returnees and four among those who have returned from Kota have been tested positive till date. “Out of the total 33 cases tested positive on Wednesday, 24 are those who have returned from Nanded Sahib while four are from Kota in Rajasthan. Yesterday, 11 Nanded returnees were tested positive,” a senior Government official told The Pioneer, requesting anonymity.
Maximum 11 were tested positive from Ludhiana, among whom seven are Nanded Sahib pilgrims and four are students from Kota in Rajasthan.
Other districts from where the returnees were tested positive include three in Faridkot, three in Hoshiarpur, five in SAS Nagar (Mohali), two in Patiala, two in Bathinda, one each in Jalandhar and Sangrur.
As per official figures, nearly 3,500 pilgrims are expected to arrive from Takht Sri Hazur Sahib in Nanded where they were stranded due to the lockdown, and are reaching Punjab in batches in the government-arranged buses.
It has been learnt that majority of the pilgrims from Nanded, and also from other states would return in the next two days, and the Health Department has already issued instructions to quarantine all returnees from outside the state for 21 days.
“The pilgrims returning from Sri Hazur Sahib is a big challenge. The Maharashtra government didn’t take steps to prevent the COVID-19 spread by testing those who were embarking upon the journey to Punjab,” said the state Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu.
He said that the state government was taking all necessary steps to contain coronavirus by examining and testing of all the returnees to Punjab.
On the other hand, BJP is blaming the state government for “making a wrong decision” by inviting the stranded pilgrims and students from Hazur Sahib and Kota to Punjab. “Prime Minister had clearly stated ‘Stay where ever you are’. But the Governments took it lightly and allowed various sections of society to intrude into territories which was otherwise well-guarded and protected by Police and Doctors,” said BJP leader Dr Kamal Soi.
Pointing that Tarn Taran, Fairdkot, and Ludhiana districts has reported corona blast, Dr Soi said that medical protocol team has failed to quarantine intruders into designated facilities for isolation, “instead they allowed them to go home. Later, when few journalist friends questioned them, they woke from slumber and brought them back from their homes”.
BATHINDA LOSES ITS “GREEN” TAG
Bathinda district, which had reported no case so far, on Wednesday reported its first coronavirus cases with two pilgrims testing positive.
FEROZEPUR BECOMES CORONA FREE
The one and only COVID-19 patient in Ferozepur district, constable Parmjot Singh, who was a close contact of Ludhiana ACP Anil Kohli, was discharged on Wednesday from Civil Hospital. Deputy Commissioner Kulwant Singh himself presented him a flower, handed him discharge slip and whole team of health workers clapped for him, while announcing Ferozepur to be “corona free district”.
