Virus can transmit into city post-lockdown: Experts

Naina Mishra
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, April 8

As Chandigarh completed 14 days of lockdown on Tuesday, there has been a decline in the progression rate of Covid cases in the city.

Currently, there are 11 Covid patients getting treatment at the PGI and seven have been discharged after recovery.

Even as the lockdown period is going to be over after April 14, questions are being raised whether the curfew should be extended or not. Experts fear transmission of the virus in Chandigarh from adjoining districts post-lockdown due to the free movement of people in the tricity.

Seven new Covid cases were reported from Jawaharpur village of Dera Bassi in Mohali district on Tuesday and four cases surfaced today. It has now become the new hotspot for Covid, taking the count in the district to 30.

The PGI Director, Dr Jagat Ram, said, “The borders should not be opened as cases in the adjoining states are on the rise. This calls for strict border restrictions, except for emergency services, even after April 14 when the lockdown ends.”

Prof JS Thakur of the Community Medicine of School of Public Health said, “The situation is still tense in adjoining districts of Mohali and Panchkula. Chandigarh cannot work in isolation as there is a lot of movement from Panchkula and Mohali to Chandigarh. Next five days will play a crucial role in arriving at a decision.”

Curfew was clamped in the city on March 23 when it had already seen seven Covid cases. These cases were reported between March 18 and 23, which was the pre-lockdown period.

The city reported its first case on March 18, followed by four more cases on March 19. The sixth case was reported on March 21 and the seventh on March 22. Just when the city started heaving a sigh of relief as no cases were reported for three days, the eighth case was reported on March 26. Seven more cases were reported on March 30, followed by a case each on April 1 and 2. Meanwhile, over 90 per cent of the samples tested have negative in the UT. There has been no new case reported after April 2 in the city.

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