Avoid travelling to Delhi, Chandigarh health dept issues advisory

The Chandigarh health department on Wednesday issued an advisory, asking city residents to avoid travelling to Delhi in the wake of rise in COVID-19 cases there. Due to the current surge and steep rise in COVID-10 cases in the national capital, people should avoid travelling to high risk zones like Delhi-NCR unless unavoidable as their probability of getting infected increases substantially when they are in these high risk zones.

Delhi recorded 7,486 fresh COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, taking the infection tally in the national capital to over 5 lakh, even as 133 new fatalities, the highest single-day death count till date, pushed the toll to 7,943, authorities said. According to an advisory issued by the health department, people who return from Delhi should maintain a distance of six feet from their family members and always wear masks at home. They should also limit their contact with others to less than 15 minutes. They should also follow these norms at their workplaces to prevent the spread of the infection to their colleagues and acquaintances, it further said, adding that they should get themselves tested immediately if they develop symptom, the advisory said.

People travelling back from Delhi by bus should avail the free COVID-19 testing facility provided at sector 17 bus stand, it said. Chandigarh on Wednesday reported 145 new COVID-19 cases, taking the infection count to 16,167, according to a medical bulletin. The death toll stands at 253.