39 in Spiti valley test positive for virus

Shimla, October 29

Thirty-nine residents of Rangrik in the remote Spiti Valley of Lahaul-Spiti district in Himachal Pradesh have tested positive for coronavirus, health officials said on Thursday.

As a precaution to contain the virus, authorities have sealed the village and barred in and out movement, except in emergency.

Medical teams will carry out further testing of primary contacts mainly in Kaza, the headquarters of Spiti and some 320 km from the state capital Shimla, on Thursday, said an official.

“Most of the people in Spiti are aware about the disease despite no internet connectivity in larger areas. They are taking precautions on maintaining social distance while working in the fields too,” Assistant Public Relations Officer Ajay Banyal told IANS over phone.

Kaza was the first in the state to sanitise the entire block.

The entire Spiti Valley is populated mainly by tribals. The climatic conditions of the district are harsh as much of the land forms part of a cold desert where the mercury drops below minus 20 degrees Celsius during winter.

A total of 332 Covid-19 cases were reported in the state on Wednesday, taking the total tally to 21,149. The state has 2,646 active cases with 295 deaths.

IANS