Punjab health staffer, who visited Nalagarh, tests +ve

Tribune News Service

Solan, May 11

A health staffer tested Covid-positive at Ropar yesterday had used an escape route located on the Himachal-Punjab border to visit her family at Manjholi village in Nalagarh on May 9. She is working at a Ropar hospital.

She had visited her family on April 24 but had gone back the next day. She had again come on May 9 and had later gone back. Her Covid test was done on May 7 at Ropar and the report was received yesterday. Her husband is in the military and she has two children, one of whom was staying at her in-laws house at Manjholi. She had also come to Manjholi this morning as per police reports.

SP Baddi, Rohit Malpani, said she wanted to enter the Nalagarh area from the Dheerowal inter-state barrier on May 9 but since she had no pass she was refused entry. She, however, used an escape route to enter the Nalagarh area.

The fact that she was infected during her stay at Manjholi village on May 9 has created fresh trouble for the authorities here. Ten people comprising her in-laws, who reside in three houses, have been identified as her contacts and they have been quarantined at their homes.

The SP said surreptitious entry of people from escape routes has added to their peril. A migrant from Uttar Pradesh, Ram Prakash, entered Baddi from Marrawala barrier to reach his workplace at Hetero Labs at Baddi today. He had been doing so for the last four to five days as he resided at a Haryana village. He has been booked along with the company management who were aware of his surreptitious entry.