Shimla: Two security personnel of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and his driver -all on duty with Thakur during his recent Kangra district tour, were tested positive on Thursday raising concerns about the virus spread reaching some of the most secure places.
Earlier, a deputy Secretary in the Chief Minister's office was tested positive, besides an additional advocate general who had visited the CM's office.
With the number of cases already exceeding 3,750 mark and 17 deaths, Covid-19 deaths in the hill state have started ringing alarm bells as 80 to 150 cases are adding up each day.
Senior officials admit that the Coronavirus peak was yet to come in Himachal Pradesh as inter-state mobility, particularly the arrival of the migrant labourers has already increased the numbers. Every day 5,000 to 6,000 persons are entering the state with online registrations. They also include the persons coming back home from different states where the Coronavirus has been at the peak.
Biggest spike has come due to farm labourers, mostly those engaged in the apple orchards, apart from construction labourers.
"Though we have very strict norms to place all the persons coming from hotspots to institutional quarantine and others in home quarantine. The compliance of the quarantine norms is never fool proof," says Additional Chief secretary (Health) R D Dhiman.
Concerned over the rise in the Coronavirus cases, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur held a video conference with Deputy Commissioners and SPs to review the situation.
Thakur asked the health department to explore possibilities of home isolation mechanism for asymptomatic Covid-19 patients, who have adequate facility for the same.
Chief Minister said that Himachal Pradesh like other States of the country has witnessed a steep increase in Covid-19 patients in last few days. The state has adequate facilities for keeping patients in Covid care centres and was fully prepared to meet out any eventuality.
He said the Deputy Commissioners must evolve mechanism to keep persons willing to remain in home isolation provided he/she was asymptotic and has adequate space at home to isolate them from other family members.
Thakur asked the Deputy Commissioners to ensure that food being served in the Covid care centres was hygienic and served properly. For this, district administration should regularly visit these centres to ensure proper facilities being provided to patients.
Chief Minister made an appeal to the administration to motivate the Corona warriors such as doctors, para medical staff, police and sanitary workers etc. to keep their morale high. Possibilities must also be explored to allow the patients to have homemade food which could be brought out by the family members of the patients up to the nearest Covid centre where the patient is kept.