15 more COVID-19 cases in HP's Hamirpur

Fifteen more people tested positive for COVID-19 in Himachal Pradesh’s Hamirpur on Tuesday, taking the total number of active cases in the district to 71, an official said.

Of the 15 new cases, eight people had returned to Hamirpur two days ago in a special train from Maharashtra’s Thane, Deputy Commissioner Hairkesh Meena said. They were institutionally quarantined after their arrival, he added.

Four of those who returned from Maharashtra -- a 65-year-old woman from Nadaun, a 50-year-old man from Terti village, a 44-year-old man from Nadaun and a 49-year-old-man from Jhareri village -- were staying in institutional quarantine centres in Baru and Darkoti, the official said.

The other four –- a 49-year-old man from Jhanayara, a 45-year-old man from Dhanghota, a 50-year-old man from Telhi and a 26-year-old woman from Nadaun region -- were institutionally quarantined at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Dungri, he said.

Hamirpur continues to have the highest number of coronavirus cases as over 40 per cent of the total active cases in the state are from the district.

It has 71 active cases, while six of the total 78 cases have recovered and one died.

Twenty-four people tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday, taking the overall number of cases in the state to 248, officials said.