By Choekyi Lhamo
DHARAMSHALA, Dec. 9: 11 positive Covid-19 cases have been reported from ward no. 3, a street spanning from McLeod Ganj main square to Dolma chowk that comes under the sub-division Dharamshala under the jurisdiction of District Kangra on Wednesday. The authorities have completely sealed the area, and said the “probable hotspot” needs strict measures urgently for “geographical quarantine of the concerned area”.
Under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, the Station House Officer (SHO) Harish Gajju implemented the order to seal off ward no. 3 as the statement suggested that the area may have been the epicentre of the outbreak. The order prohibits any “ingress or egress” of people at any time of the day except for persons or vehicles involved in enforcement of containment plan.
Moreover, details of all persons including name, address and mobile number will be recorded by the SHO and will be followed up by Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme. Every person residing within or entering the premises should wear masks at all times and no curfew relaxations hours will be given in the containment zone. Thermal screening will be carried out at all entry and exit points by the Block Medical Officer (BMO).
The cluster case from McLeod Ganj were primarily discovered from Shartse Monastry, and several from restaurant and cafes in one of the main streets of the town. Other positive cases have been spotted on the Jogiwara Road, which is one of the attractive tourist spots. The state of Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday reported 14 coronavirus deaths and 504 new cases.
