Punjab has reported two COVID-19 deaths taking the number to three while one fresh case has also been reported, officials told The Hindu on Monday.
Interactive map of confirmed coronavirus cases in India
A 62-year-old man died at the Government Medical College and Hospital in Amritsar while a 42-year old women died at a Patiala hospital.
Dr. Prabhadeep Kaur, civil surgeon, Amritsar, said the deceased, who was a confirmed positive case, suffered a sudden cardiac arrest late on Sunday and died. “The patient was also known to have diabetes and hypertension. He was a resident of the Moranwali village of district Hoshiarpur was a contact case of the 70-year-old man, who was the first casualty of COVID-19 in Punjab,” she said.
Harish Malhotra, civil surgeon, Patiala, said the 42-year-old women was resident of Ludhiana, had an acute respiratory distress syndrome and was admitted to the Patiala hospital on Sunday night. “She died on Monday and her sample was tested positive for the virus,” he said.
The Health department said one new case was reported in Punjab on March 30, taking the number to 39. The one positive case has been reported from Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar (Mohali) and contact tracing of the patient was being done, it added.
In Chandigarh, five new cases were reported on March 30 taking the number to 13 so far.
An official statement said an NRI couple (man, 32 and woman 32), both residents of Canada, have tested positive. The three others were contacts of a 23-year-old man who recently tested positive.
Chief Minister Amarinder Singh ordered sealing of the State’s borders, while announcing the extension of the curfew till April 14.
Captain Amarinder asked the Finance Minister to come out with a contingency financial plan to overcome the crisis and ensure an uninterrupted medical and essentials supply pipeline. The current battle would be a long-drawn one and would need more support from the Centre, he said.
The Chief Minister also allowed the Local Bodies department to extend, by three months, the services of the 2,000-odd sanitation workers due to retire on March 31 to deal with the prevailing situation.
“All restrictions should be strictly enforced till April 14, after which the State will decide in line with the government of India’s further decision,” said Captain Amarinder, adding that the lockdown was the only way to prevent the spread of the disease.
