‘Covid under control’: Uttarakhand govt as virus cluster emerges in Rishikesh
Uttarakhand has so far reported 99,515 cases and 1,709 related fatalities, according to the health department’s bulletin. The recoveries are nearing 95,000 while active cases have climbed to 1,339.
The Uttarakhand government said on Sunday that the overall coronavirus disease (Covid-19) situation in the state is under control adding that border checks have been strengthened with special attention to people coming from Kerala, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi and Tamil Nadu- which are witnessing an increase in their daily Covid-19 cases.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Uttarakhand’s health director Dr Trupti Bahugana said, “People going to Garhwal are being checked for Covid-19 in Rishikesh and those going to Kumaon are being checked at Ramnagar’s Tanda area and Rudrapur.” Thermal screening is also being carried out at Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Kausani areas of the state, Bahugana added.
Uttarakhand has so far reported 99,515 cases and 1,709 related fatalities, according to the health department’s bulletin. The recoveries are nearing 95,000 while active cases have climbed to 1,339. On Saturday, 257 more people tested positive for Covid-19 while one person succumbed to the disease. Of Saturday’s case count, Dehradun added the highest cases (126), followed by Haridwar (73), Tehri (15) and Nainital (12). Daily cases have been on the rise in the state since February.
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On Friday, a prominent hotel in Rishikesh emerged as a Covid-19 cluster in Uttarakhand and was initially sealed for 48 hours after 16 of its employees were detected positive on Thursday. The Taj Rishikesh Resort and Spa still continues to be closed for tourists after 41 more cases were seen in the last 24 hours, PTI reported.
Meanwhile, the state government has made it mandatory for all devotees attending the Kumbh Mela to produce a negative RT-PCR test report which is not older than 72 hours. The decision was taken by the Uttarakhand High Court on Wednesday, days after the newly appointed chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat removed all Covid-related restrictions for devotees arriving for the Mela- which will start from April 1. The Union health ministry said last week that huge gatherings during the festival could lead to a massive spike in cases.