Punjab reports 11 new coronavirus cases, tally stands at 298

Tribune News Service
Patiala, April 24

Punjab reported 11 new cases on Friday, taking the number of cases in the state to 298.

Patiala, Mansa, Jalandhar, Amritsar and Ludhiana reported new cases, an evening health bulletin from Punjab’s health department said. 

Six more people tested positive for coronavirus from Patiala’s Rajpura town—a place that has now emerged as a cause for concern. Coronavirus tally in that area alone now stands at 36. All six are contacts of already diagnosed cases.

Authorities blame a spike in cases in the area on hookah parties that was held there in defiance of curfew orders.

The development takes the number of cases in the district to 55—the highest in the state after Mohali and Jalandhar, both of which stand at 63 currently. 

Mansa reported two new cases, taking the district tally to 13.

The two cases came from Budhlada, where they were staying at a mosque after attending a religious event organised by Tablighi Jamaat sect in Delhi’s Nizamuddin. Their spouses had already tested positive earlier in the month.

This was their second test—they had tested negative on April 2.   

Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Amritsar each reported one—all contacts of already diagnosed cases. 

Punjab’s infection tally now stands at 298 with 17 reported deaths. The state has 211 active cases. Seventy people have been cured and one person is critical and on ventilator support.