Of the cases reported on Friday, source of infection was not immediately known for 70 new cases, 62 were contacts of Covid patients and 21 had travel history outside the state including seven who returned from abroad. (Express Photo)
Five more Covid deaths were reported from Punjab on Friday. The toll now is 157. With 153 new cases, the tally has reached 5,937.
The three deaths were reported from Amritsar (three women aged 50, 60 and 71 years) and two from Ludhiana (a 63-year-old man and a 68-year-old woman). Ludhiana reported maximum fresh cases (54), followed by Jalandhar (19) and Sangrur (18).
The other districts which reported fresh cases were Patiala (12 cases), Amritsar (11), Gurdaspur (10), Tarn Taran and Nawanshar (6 each), Mohali and Moga (4 each), Ferozepur (2) and Pathankot, Hoshiarpur, Faridkot, Fazilka, Bathinda, Kapurthala and Barnala (1 each).
Five inmates from Ludhiana Central Jail, a policeman posted as gunman with senior Akali leader and ex-minister Tota Singh from Moga and a home guard in Ludhiana tested positive for coronavirus Friday.
Five inmates aged 23, 21, 58, 38 and 27 years — all undertrials in different cases and lodged at Ludhiana Central Jail, tested positive. Rajiv Arora, superintendent, Ludhiana Central Jail said, “All of them had come to Central Jail on June 11 from Borstal Jail (special Covid jail) after completing quarantine period and were tested negative there. However, they have tested positive during retesting. All are asymptomatic and have been shifted to hospital.”
An assistant sub-inspector (ASI) from Moga Police, posted as personal security officer (gunman) with Tota Singh, also tested positive. Barjinder Singh alias Makhan Brar, son of the ex-minister, said, “Though he is posted with my father but since 3-4 months, he was not in touch with him as my father lives in Chandigarh mostly.”
A 45-year-old Punjab Home Guard (PHG) posted with PCR (Model Town) also tested positive from Ludhiana city police. He is also asymptomatic.
Of the cases reported on Friday, source of infection was not immediately known for 70 new cases, 62 were contacts of Covid patients and 21 had travel history outside the state including seven who returned from abroad.
As per the official media bulletin, 4,266 patients have been discharged and 1,514 are in institutional isolation, 34 of them on oxygen support and three on ventilator support.
Amritsar district has reported maximum Covid-19 deaths (47), followed by Ludhiana (24) and Jalandhar (21). Maximum cases of infection have been reported from Ludhiana (971), followed by Amritsar (938) and Jalandhar (774).
Lockdown in Dera Baba Nanak
Amid the demand of reopening the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor, border town Dera Baba Nanak has been closed.
Twenty people have tested positive in Dera Baba Nanak. To control the community spread and for contact tracing, the district administration has imposed lockdown.
The Kartarpur Sahib Corridor is constructed bypassing Dera Baba Nanak, however, often pilgrims stay at the historical Gurdwara Darbar Sahib of Dera Baba Nanak to go to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib.
Pakistan has opened its part of the corridor.