Three staff, including SI, on Pushkaram duty test coronavirus positive

KURNOOL: Three persons—a police sub-inspector, a home guard and a priest—on duty at pushkar ghats in Kurnool district on the occasion of Tungabhadra Pushkarams, have tested positive for the coronavirus.  
Nearly 10,000 people, including 5,000 police personnel, have been deployed at the 23 pushkar ghats arranged across the district.  

While the home guard, who was on duty at the Nagareswara ghat in Kurnool city, tested positive on the second day, the priest (who performed rituals at the Panchalinga ghat) was identified to have been infected on Sunday. On Monday, the SI who was deployed near the Kowthalam ghat also tested positive.

District medical and health officer Dr Rama Giddaiah said the three persons who tested positive were among the 2,000 officials and priests who underwent Covid-19 testing recently. “An ambulance, and at least two health screening centres are arranged at every pushkar ghat. Every pilgrim is screened before they are allowed to enter the ghats. If anyone shows symptoms, samples from him/her are collected for Covid-19 testing.”

“Nearly 300 health staff and doctors are deployed at the ghats to screen the pilgrims and duty staff. Their strength may be increased by 100 on account of rush expected on Monday, Wednesday and Friday,” the DMHO told TNIE. He appealed to the devotees to wear masks and follow Covid-19 protocols at the ghats, and said the efforts to test all the duty staff have been intensified. According to the district administration, as many as 32,695 pilgrims have visited the pushkar ghats and had shower baths in the last four days. Of them, 5,358 performed pinda pradanam and other rituals.