Three Europeans have tested positive for Covid-19 in the pilgrim town of Vrindavan since Friday, a health official said on Sunday.
A woman from Lithuania was the first to be found infected with Covid-19. Two nationals from Spain and Switzerland have also tested positive on Sunday.
All three had arrived in India on or near about November 15 and were at the same Vrindavan Ashram, which has now been declared a containment zone. Their samples are being sent to Lucknow for genome sequencing, the official said, adding that samples of 44 others who were in contact with them at the Ashram are being tested.
“Earlier, a woman from the Republic of Lithuania, aged about 30 years, had tested positive for Covid-19. She arrived in India on November 15 and was staying at Girdhar Dham, Sheetal Chayya Mandir in Vrindavan. She tested positive on Friday. Samples of those coming in her contact, mainly foreigners, at the ashram were subjected to testing,” said Dr Bhoodev, the deputy chief medical officer (deputy CMO) at Mathura. Vrindavan is in Mathura district of western Uttar Pradesh.
“A woman from Spain, aged 47 years, and a man from Switzerland, aged 44 years, also tested positive at the same ashram. They were also in India since the last fortnight,” the deputy CMO said.
{{/usCountry}}“A woman from Spain, aged 47 years, and a man from Switzerland, aged 44 years, also tested positive at the same ashram. They were also in India since the last fortnight,” the deputy CMO said.
{{/usCountry}}“On Sunday, it was revealed that the man from Switzerland, who tested positive for Covid-19, has already moved away from the ashram and is being traced,” he stated.
Vrindavan, about 150 kilometres from Delhi, is among the favourite destinations of Krishna devotees from abroad as it is dotted with a series of Krishna temples and ashrams. The health department has made arrangements for sample testing of these devotees arriving from overseas.
On November 20, a footwear manufacturer from Agra tested positive after returning from Poland. But 50 others at his shoe factory tested negative. The samples of the footwear manufacturer have been sent to Lucknow for genome sequencing and the reports are awaited, said Agra chief medical officer Dr AK Srivastava.
The first Covid-19 positive case in Uttar Pradesh had been reported from Agra on March 2, 2020. That patient had returned from Italy.