16 from one village among Corona victims
Leh declared Red Zone, no fresh relaxations
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 3: In a sudden spike in Coronavirus cases in the Union Territory of Ladakh, 18 persons, all in Leh district, including 16 from already ‘Contained’ village of Chushot Yokma, have tested positive for COVID-19 prompting the district administration to declare Leh district as Red Zone from Orange. The administration also announced that no relaxations now will be given in Leh from tomorrow as announced by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
A five-year old girl child and four women were among 18 persons tested positive in Leh district today taking total Corona cases in the Union Territory to 41 and active cases to 23 as 18 persons have already been treated and discharged from the COVID Hospitals.
This is for the first time that the Union Territory of Ladakh has reported 18 Corona positive cases in a single day.
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“Among 18 persons tested Corona positive in Leh district today, 16 belonged to village Chushot Yokma, which is already a ‘Contained’ area as some persons with travel history had reported positive from there, while one case each was reported from Zangsti in Leh City and Agling,” official sources told the Excelsior.
Significantly, all the persons tested Corona positive today in Leh were asymptomatic and their samples had been taken as Chushot Yokma had been declared ‘Containment Zone’. The person tested positive in Zangtsi had reportedly travelled to New Delhi before lockdown in connection with treatment of her husband, who is suffering from kidney ailment while the positive woman of Agling had visited Sankoo from April 7 to 27 and was now staying at Spituk near Agling.
Sixteen persons who have tested positive from village Chushot Yokma were contacts of positive persons.
Immediately after the administration received reports of 18 persons reporting positive for COVID-19, all of them were shifted to dedicated COVID Hospitals in Leh and their family members were isolated. Administration was tracing contacts of all positive persons to subject them to quarantine and sample testing.
Chushot Yokma had already been declared as `Containment Zone’ as some people who had returned there from Iran pilgrimage had tested positive for COVID-19 though most of them have been treated and discharged by the hospitals.
“One of the person tested positive today in Leh was traced through Aarogya Setu App,” Deputy Commissioner Leh Sachin Kumar told a press conference in Leh.
He said Leh district which was an Orange Zone has now been classified as Red Zone following sudden spurt in COVID-19 cases with 18 persons testing positive on a single day.
“There will be no further relaxations in Leh from tomorrow as are being given on the directions of Union Home Ministry,” he said, adding that all three villages of Chushot have been contained and are being monitored through drone and police patrolling.
As a pre-emptive measure, all the officers have been shifted to hotels and they won’t be going to their houses. Further, there will be no movement of people without passes, he added.
Kumar said all pilgrims who have returned from Iran will be subjected to sample testing for Coronavirus again after one such person turned out to be positive in Kargil district yesterday. He added that all contacts of positive patients have been isolated and will be subjected to sample testing.
The Deputy Commissioner Leh also announced that COVID-19 testing Lab will be opening shortly in Leh and staff to be deployed at the Lab has been sent on training while equipments have been brought here after the matter was taken up by UT Advisor Umang Narula and Health Secretary Rigzin Samphel.
Following 18 positive cases, the District Magistrate Leh today ordered that Chushot villages comprising Chushot Yokma and Shamma have been further notified as Containment Zone. Similarly, Zangsti/Malpak area has also been declared as Containment Zone.
With today’s 18 positive cases, total number of Coronavirus patients in the Union Territory of Ladakh has gone up to 41. However, 18 of them have been treated and discharged from the hospitals leaving 23 active cases including 20 in Leh district and three in Kargil district.
Meanwhile, no fresh Corona positive case was reported from Jammu region today where tally of COVID patients stood at 61 including seven active cases. Fifty-three Corona patients have recovered and discharged from the hospitals while there has been one death.
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