Covid-19 positive trucker detained in Uttarakhand after driving in from Punjab

A truck driver who had slipped away from Punjab after testing positive for Covid-19 last week was detained by the Uttarakhand Police on Monday at Bazpur border area in Udham Singh Nagar district, officials said.

Authorities are trying to find out how he got out of Punjab.

A health bulletin issued by the Uttarakhand government on Monday afternoon states, “District Commissioner of Fatehgarh, Punjab informed that a 47-year old male patient was tested positive on May 7, at Fatehgarh, Punjab. He traveled from Punjab to Bazpur (US Nagar). The district administration Udham Singh Nagar has immediately isolated the patient in Susheela Tiwari Hospital in Haldwani and started treatment as per protocol.”

Dr Shailaja Bhatt, chief medical officer of Udham Singh Nagar district said that the patient has been isolated at the hospital and is being treated.

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“We are trying to find out how the patient escaped from Punjab and reached here. Till then, we have isolated him at the hospital and he is being treated. Another person, who is a resident of Nanakmatta from the district, accompanied him; he has also been quarantined at a health facility and his samples have been sent for testing again. He had tested negative on May 7,” said Dr Bhatt.

According to officials, the truck driver was caught by police officials who traced his truck after the Punjab administration alerted the Uttarakhand government.

The Uttarakhand health department said it will not count the driver among its Covid-19 cases.

JC Pandey, public relations officer of the state health department said that because the patient tested positive in Punjab and not Uttarakhand, he is not being included in the state’s tally. But he is being treated according to the protocol.

As of Monday, Udham Singh Nagar had the maximum number of active cases in the state at nine and has reported a total 13 cases so far. The doubling rate of cases in the district (based on average of the past seven days) is 9.9 days, whereas the doubling rate in the state is 45 days.

Uttarakhand has so far reported 68 positive cases with 46 recoveries and 21 active cases.