Dharamsala: At least 150 monks have reportedly tested positive for Covid-19 at Gyuto Tantric Monastery in Dharamsala of Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday. Giving further details, Kangra Chief Medical Officer Dr Gurdarshan Gupta told news agency ANI that over 300 monks have reportedly tested positive for coronavirus so far in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. The CMO also added that one monk in critical condition has been shifted to Tanda Medical College and others are in isolation in the monastery itself.
According to the CMO, the monks who have been home-isolated had traveled from Karnataka and Delhi for New Year. Kangra CMO added that the monastery has been closed for visitors since March 5.
On February 27, over 20 monks of the same monastery, were tested COVID positive. They had no travel history. In the past two days before February 27, over 19 monks have been tested positive for coronavirus.
Since the coronavirus outbreak, most of the Tibetan monasteries located in and around Dharamsala, where the Dalai Lama resides, have been closed to the public to prevent the spread of virus.
Notably, over 400 monks have been staying in the Gyuto monastery. The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) is based in Dharamsala.
The development comes at a time when the active Covid-19 case tally in Himachal Pradesh stands at 434 on Tuesday.