Himachal crosses 2,000-mark, lockdown in Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh

So far, 2049 people have tested positive for the virus

Himachal continued to witness a spurt in Covid-19 cases as the state’s tally crossed the 2,000 mark on Saturday, with 95 people testing positive for the virus.

The jewel market in Moti Bazaar in Mandi wears a deserted look. The market was completely shutdown due to rising Covid-19 cases in the district over the last two days. (Birbal Sharma/HT)

So far, 2049 people have tested positive for the virus. Thirty-five cases were reported in Solan ,25 in Sirmaur,15 in Mandi and seven people, including an army personnel and an asha worker, tested positive in Chamba district. Four persons have tested positive in Kangra district, six in Una, two in Hamirpur and one in Shimla.

In Solan,most cases are from the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) area. Given the surge in Covid-19 cases, the district authorities have announced a lockdown in the BBN area from Saturday till Tuesday. The police station in Baddi was sealed for 48 hours after a policeman tested positive.

Deputy commissioner KC Chaman has urged people to stay indoors during the lockdown period. The district authorities will ensure the smooth supply of essentials.

The lockdown in Baddi, Barotiwaala and Nalagarh came into force on July 26 from 12am to July 28. However, the area will continue to remain a containment zone thereafter.

Solan deputy commissioner KC Chaman said there will be no movement of within, into or out of the BBN, except for medical emergencies. All central and state government offices, public corporations, banks, commercial and industrial activities will remain closed, except for emergency services such as fire services, health services, chemist shops and industries, which require continuous process. Petrol pumps, LPG gas, oil agencies and their godowns and transportation-related activities have also been ordered to close.

Transit through national highways has been permitted with a condition that no one will be permitted to stop anywhere in the area while transiting.

He said that during the lockdown, health authorities will ensure that maximum numbers of teams are deployed for conducting door-to-door screening of people residing in the BBN, especially in high load areas. Further, completion of active case finding (ACF) will be done as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, 15 cases have been reported in Govindgarh locality of Nahan town, the administrative headquarters of Sirmaur district. Among the patients 11 are women and four men.

More than 100 people have tested positive for the virus in Govindgarh locality in the last one week. Sirmaur deputy commissioner RK Pruthi said there will be a complete lockdown in Nahan till Tuesday.

Fifteen people were tested positive in Mandi district. Six cases have been reported in Pandoh town while three in Sundernagar. Other cases are from Balh, Nachan, Mandi town, Drang and Dudar.

Shopkeepers in Seraj, Nachan, Janjheli have decided to keep their shops shut due to a surge in Covid-19 cases.

1,000 cases in 23 days

The Himachal Pradesh tally crossed 2000-mark on 127th day of reporting the first case, which was March 20. The 1900- mark was crossed on Friday. The first 1,000 cases were reported on 105th day on July 2. A thousand more cases were added to the tally in just 23 days.

Special secretary, health, Nipun Jindal said so far 11 people had succumbed to Covid-19 in the state and 1,173 patients had recovered while 15 people had migrated out of the state.

With 507 Covid-19 cases, Solan is the worst hit district in the state, followed by Kangra with 389 cases, Hamirpur has 293 cases, Sirmaur 226 , Una 178, Shimla 125, Chamba 93, Bilaspur 68, Mandi 101, Kinnaur 41 and Kullu has 24 cases. With four Covid-19 cases, Lahaul and Spiti is the least affected district.