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23 fresh cases in Ambala push district tally to 37
Chief medical officer Dr Kuldeep Singh said twenty-three people, mostly construction workers have tested Covid-19 positive
The district reported 23 new coronavirus cases after a gap of almost a week, officials said on Monday. This took the district tally to 37.
Chief medical officer Dr. Kuldeep Singh said, “Twenty-three people, mostly construction workers have tested Covid-19 positive. Samples of 86 labourers engaged at the construction site of an upcoming residential complex for doctors in Ambala Cantonment Civil Hospital campus were taken for testing on May 2. Also, samples of labourers working at the construction site of the cancer centre at the civil hospital in cantonment have tested negative.”
Construction has stopped at the site, which has now been sealed off as a containment zone.
As per details, all workers and their families including women and children, earlier living at the site have been quarantined at a nearby school. Now, the district tally has risen to 37 with 11 patients already recovered, two fatalities, while one patient is undergoing treatment at PGIMER, Chandigarh.
Meanwhile, deputy commissioner Ashok Kumar Sharma has confirmed that construction-related works were being carried out at the site where they have tested positive.
“The construction work has stopped at the site and the area has been declared as a containment zone,” DC said.
Earlier home and health minister Anil Vij has also expressed displeasure on the state government’s decision to allow the opening of shops and other non-essential activities amid a rise in the number of cases.
“I’m worried as we cannot send police to every shop and ask them to maintain social distancing. Now, the ball is in the court of citizens and they have to follow the rules otherwise such relaxations could prove fatal,” Vij, an MLA from Ambala cantonment said on Monday morning.
Partial relaxation in curbs, shops to open between 10am and 5pm in Ambala
In an order issued on Monday, district magistrate (DM) Ashok Kumar Sharma allowed opening of shops with some curbs in Ambala.
The order stated, “Business establishments related to milk and dairy products, vegetables and fruits shops, chemists, grocery shops, dry fodder, confectionery, agriculture implements, including fertilisers and seeds, vita booths, atta chakki, kiryana, meat and poultry, homoeopathic and ayurvedic medicines will be allowed to open from Monday to Saturday as per conditions (between 10am to 5pm),”
“All other ‘left-side’ shops in MC markets marked with ‘L’ will open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 am to 5pm and all the ‘right-side’ shops in the same markets market with ‘R’ will open on the remaining days, except Sundays,” the order read.
All eateries, restaurants and sweets shops have been allowed to provide home deliveries and take-away services in the same time bracket. Every other activities, including movement of interstate buses, will remain prohibited while barber shops, salons and beauty parlours will remain closed. Also, every activity allowed under these orders will not be permitted in the containment zones.
