COVID: As 2 more test positive, Hamirpur continues to have highest number of cases in HP

Hamirpur district continues to have the highest number of novel coronavirus cases in Himachal Pradesh with two more persons, both of whom recently returned to the state from outside, testing positive for the disease on Sunday, deputy commissioner Harikesh Meena said.

The number of infected people in Hamirpur district has risen to 62 out of total 204 in the state.

The district now has 56 active cases out of total 137 active cases in the state. One COVID-19 patient has died and five have recovered, according to state government data.

Meena said that a 20-year-old woman from Baragram in Badsar area and a 56-year-old man from Bagehra lower area of the Sujanpur sub-division tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday.

The woman had returned from Delhi along with her relatives on May 18 and was quarantined at the government high school, Baragram, whereas the man came back from Noida in a taxi on May 20 and was institutionally-quarantined at Government Senior Secondary School at Bir Bagehra, he added.

The DC said about 10,000 people have returned in the last four weeks from red zones to Hamirpur district.

Over 16,000 people returned from other states to Hamirpur district between April 26 and May 23, he said adding that of them, nearly 10,000 returned from red zone areas.

Meena said the process of collecting samples of people coming from red zones was expedited.

So far, over 4,500 samples have been taken in the district and around 3,500 of them are from red zones, he added.

About 170 more people are soon returning to Hamirpur from red zones of Ahmedabad in Gujarat and Thane in Maharashtra in two trains, he added.

The DC maintained that over 13,000 people have completed their quarantine period in the district.

Meena paid surprise visits to various institutional quarantine centres on Sunday and directed staff posted there to take proper care of the people coming there.

Meanwhile, the officer declared ward numbers 5 and 6 of Dugha gram panchayat of Hamirpur subdivision as containment zones after detection of a COVID-19 case there recently.

Meena also declared three wards of gram panchayat Booni in Nadaun subdivision and Pahloo gram panchayat of Badsar subdivision as containment zones following detection of two coronavirus positive cases there recently.