Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Thursday said that the Coronavirus is spreading rapidly for the second time in the neighbouring state of Punjab, due to which there is a steady increase in cases in the border districts of Una and Solan in Himachal.
The hill state on Thursday reported four deaths and 409 fresh positive cases.
“The new strain of Coronavirus is spreading rapidly in different states of the country and Himachal is also not untouched by it,” he said while talking to the mediapersons in Kullu.
The second wave of Corona is more dangerous which a matter of concern for all and should be taken more seriously, he said
Thakur said that the COVID-19 vaccine is being inoculated from April 1 to those who are 45 years old. The vaccine provides protection from virus but one should ensure use of masks, maintaining social distance and using sanitizers, he added.
The Chief Minister further said that keeping in view the increasing cases of virus in the state, it has been decided to keep the schools closed till April 15. But no restriction is being imposed in development works and tourism, he added.
He also urged the people of the state to follow guidelines of the government and administration to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.
Meanwhile, the death toll has reached 1039 while the total case tally stood at 64014 in the state.
According to the Himachal’s evening health bulletin, two deaths were reported in Una while one death each was reported in Sirmaur and Mandi district due to COVID-19.
There were 3221 active cases in the state till the evening. Una has the highest number of active cases at 712 followed by 684 in Kangra and 527in Solan, the bulletin stated.Of the 409 fresh cases, a maximum of 95 were reported in Kangra followed by 67 in Una.
So far, 59738 people have recovered from the virus in the state. 157 people recovered in the last 24 hours, it said.
Over 12.67 lakh COVID-19 tests have been conducted in the state. 7224 tests were conducted till the evening on Thursday, the bulletin added.