Coronavirus lockdown: In Amritsar, community spread cases up by 166% post-relaxations

The Amritsar district has witnessed a spike of 166% in Covid-19 cases of community transmission after relaxations in the lockdown were announced on May 19.

Of a total of 40 cases of community spread, wherein a patient has no travel history and has not come in contact with any virus-infected person, reported in the district so far, as many as 25 were reported in the past week. Ten such cases surfaced on Monday and Tuesday alone.

The first coronavirus case was reported in Amritsar on March 21 when a man, who had returned from the United Kingdom, had tested positive. The district, which has been put in the ‘red-zone’ category, has reported 337 cases, including six deaths, till date.

“The maximum community transmission cases in a day (8) were reported on Monday. These patients were tested in flu corners after they showed symptoms of the disease. Most of the recent cases have been reported from Rani Ka Bagh; Palm Gardens Colony, Majitha Road; Vijay Nagar, Batala Road; Dashmesh Nagar and Katra Dullo locality. Their source of infection could not be traced,” said civil surgeon Dr Jugal Kishore.

“The patients are undergoing treatment at the isolation ward of the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Amritsar. The cases are increasing rapidly as people have started commuting without taking precautions. The health department and district administration are working to step up surveillance,” Dr Kishore added.

Deputy commissioner Shiv Dular Singh Dhillon said, “People need to maintain social distancing and wear face masks to avoid getting infected by the virus. The lockdown was imposed to make people aware about the situation so that they make precautionary measures part of their lifestyle. The government will soon take a call on extending the state-wide lockdown.”