Hookah sharing in Jind village results in chain of Covid infections; 29 positive

Deepender Deswal

Tribune News Service

Jind, August 2

After a ‘hookah baithak’ (meeting place) turned out to be the “super-spreader” of coronavirus, the panchayat banned sharing of hookah by two or more persons at Shadipur village of Julana block of the district on Sunday.

A total of 29 persons have reportedly got infected who used to share a hookah at a shop in the village. While one of them had died during treatment, 24 are under treatment, five more persons of the group — who used to share hookah — tested positive for the Covid 19 today.

It started three weeks ago when a resident of the village who attended a marriage function in Gurugram on July 8, got tested on returning home and found himself positive for Covid-19.

Tracing the contacts, the health department took samples of the people who used to share hookah with the person. The person who first got infected and most of other infected persons are shopkeepers who used to sit together to enjoy hookah.

The village has been sealed by the district administration ban has been imposed on smoking hookah in the village. A sarpanch representative, Anil Kumar said after the incident the village panchayat has banned hookah and a public announcement has also been made to this effect in every street of the village.

A committee of prominent persons will keep a track of the people especially hookah baithaks in the village, he said.

Dr Gopal Goyal, senior medical officer, Jind civil hospital, said sharing hookah has led to a chain of virus transmission in the village.

Julana SHO Surender Singh said the police have sealed the containment zone area in around 750 metre and no one is allowed to go inside or outside as 24 people have been reported Corona positive within a week.

Deputy civil surgeon Pale Ram Kataria maintained that a chain of Coronavirus due to the sharing hookah has led to infection to many people in the village. Jind has 125 active cases of Covid 19 while 187 have recovered.

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