As many as 18 from the CRPF Pinjore too tested positive in Panchkula district on Tuesday.
Panchkula reported the biggest single-day spike in cases with 47 from the district testing positive. Of these, as many as 34 were from paramilitary bases of the district.
Huge clusters from two paramilitary bases of Panchkula have been identified at ITBP Bhanu and CRPF Pinjore, with ITBP reporting as many as 43 positive cases and CRPF reporting 23 positive cases so far.
ITBP reported as many as 16 cases on Tuesday while it had already reported 27 cases earlier.
As per a senior health official who has been tasked with monitoring the rise of cases in ITBP, “the base has remained reluctant to cooperate with district officials considering them ‘civilians’. The base has not been following any social distancing norms and has as many as 2,500 people inside the area. We fear the outbreak may be huge if we do not contain it now. We will be holding a high-level meeting with senior officials. We have told them to make a Covid care centre inside the base for their asymptomatic patients”.
The cluster formation is giving the district jitters as positive cases continue to rise from inside the paramilitary base.
As many as 18 from the CRPF Pinjore too tested positive in Panchkula district on Tuesday. The first case from the base was reported on July 12 when a 40-year-old had tested positive.
Four more had then tested positive on July 17. This is the single biggest hike from one place in Panchkula.
“We have been able to successfully contain areas which could have become possible regions of huge outbreaks such as our slums because of constant monitoring. Such steps are not possible in military bases. Even though they are supposed to be the most disciplined, several cases are being reported excessively. We do not have space to house so many of them,” said a senior health official, refusing to be identified.
The official has added that a meeting in this regard with CRPF chief and DIG of ITBP in the presence of DC and health officials has been scheduled for Wednesday.
District tally rises to 327
While 18 who tested positive at CRPF base comprise males aged between 10 and 42, 16 from ITBP comprised males aged between 29 and 32.
Thirteen more cases were reported from other areas of the district. At least seven tested positive from Pinjore, two from Kherawali, three from Maheshpur and one from Sector 15 of the city.
With these numbers, the district tally rose to 327 with added 80 cases under a separate head of ‘outsiders’.