Highest single-day spike of 574 Covid cases in HP; NIT-Hamirpur declared 'mini containment zone'

Shimla, January 7

Himachal Pradesh on Friday recorded 574 fresh COVID-19 cases, the biggest single-day jump in several months, taking the infection tally to 2,30,859, a health official said.

Meanwhile, 59 more students of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Hamirpur tested positive for the infection, forcing the authorities to declare it a “mini containment zone”, a district official said.

The highest 144 fresh cases were found in Kangra followed by 85 in Hamirpur, 80 in Shimla, 79 in Solan, 49 in Sirmaur, 35 in Mandi, 34 in Kullu, 32 in Una, 20 in Bilaspur, nine in Kinnaur and seven in Chamba, the state health official said.

Besides, a 37-year-old man in Mandi succumbed to the virus on Friday, pushing the death toll to 3,864.

The number of active COVID-19 cases in the state climbed to 2,153 from 1,655 on Thursday, the official said.

Seventy-three more patients recovered from the viral disease. With this, the total number of recoveries in Himachal Pradesh stands at 2,24,811, he said.

A total of 140 NIT Hamirpur students have been found infected with the novel coronavirus infection in the last three days.

Besides, 24 other people also tested positive in Hamirpur district on Friday, the official said.

This has raised the number of active cases to 233 in the district. All of them have been quarantined at their places.

The official said 726 samples were tested on Friday and the results of 85 of them came out positive.

The number of total confirmed cases in the district has risen to 18,318 as against 17,776 recoveries, he added.

In his order on Friday, the Hamirpur sub divisional magistrate stated that strict measures are required to prevent the spread of the virus, which if not taken immediately, may cause further hazards.

“Therefore, in compliance to the office order issued by the district magistrate, Hamirpur, the sub divisional magistrate, Hamirpur, in exercise of the power vested in him under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, has ordered complete sealing of the area,” the order read.

Under no circumstances will any person or vehicle, except officers/officials’ vehicles on government duty, shall be allowed, the order specified.

Further, essential commodities such as like milk, groceries, vegetables, pharmaceutical products and gas supply shall be allowed with prior permission, the SDM’s order stated.

“No person shall leave their homes or move on foot or by vehicles or travel or roam around or stand on any road or public places in the above referred notified area of the respective gram panchayat ward till further orders,” it said. — PTI

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