Mandi: At the onset of Lockdown-3, Himachal relaxed its stringent curfew norms and opened the borders for movement of state residents stranded in other parts of the country, another young patient from Mandi district, with a travel history from Delhi, died of Covid-19 at IGMC hospital, Shimla, late on Tuesday evening.
Since relaxing of movement of people, this is the second patient detected with Covid-19 who have recently traveled to Himachal. The 21 year old victim of the deadly virus was from Sarkaghat sub-division and was an old patient with kidney problems.
The patient from Chowk Dev-Brarta panchayat in Sarkhaghat sub-division was first admitted to Sarkhaghat hospital, where he was tested Covid positive. From Sarkhaghat he was shifted first to Government Medical College-cum-Hospital, Mandi at Ner Chowk, before being moved to IGMC Shimla for isolation and treatment. At Shimla also the patient tested Covid positive.
Family members of the patient, the treating health professionals at Sarkhaghat hospital, Mandi Medical College and IGMC Hospital who came into contact with the patient have been put under quarantine.
Mandi district magistrate Rugved Thakur has decreed complete sealing of Chowk Dev-Brarta and Ropri panchayat in Sarkhaghat sub-division as a disease containment zone and has notified the panchayats of Maseran, Baag, Parsada-Hawani, Chauri and Jhanjhel as the buffer zone.
All relaxations about movement of people and vehicles permitted on 3rd May, have been withdrawn.
“Under no circumstances shall there be any ingress/outgress of any person or vehicle from the containment zone except for persons/vehicles involved in enforcement of containment plan and medical emergency,” magistrate Thakur has ordered.
Himachal was on the verge of being declared a Covid free zone before the start of Lockdown-3 as of the 40 positive cases detected till then, 38 had been cured and one had died. After the state permitted inter-state movement of people, earlier this week, 2 new positive cases who recently entered the state have been detected of whom 1 has died. Currently of the 42 cases detected so far, there are only two patients under isolation and active treatment in the state.
A senior journalist who has spent more than a decade in the profession, working for Amar Ujala and Aapka Faisla.
