Curfew to continue in Himachal's Una as more 9 test positive for COVID-19

There will be no relaxation in the curfew in Una in Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday as more nine people have confirmed positive for the coronavirus in the district, an official said.

Nine members of the Tablighi Jamaat tested positive for the deadly virus Tuesday night, Deputy Commissioner, Una, Sandeep Kumar said. They had come in contact with other three members of the organisation, who had tested positive, at a mosque in Nakroh village in Amb Tehsil, he said.

Later they were shifted to a nearby mosque in Kuthera Kherla village from where their samples were taken, he added. Kumar said one among the new cases is a 75-year-old cleric of the mosque in Kuthera Kherla, while five are from Sirmaur district, one is from Solan's Arki area and two are from Uttar Pradesh.

The curfew was imposed across Himachal Pradesh on March 24 to contain the spread of COVID-19. Authorities have been briefly relaxing the restrictions, including in Una, during the day for people to buy essential commodities.

The cleric is being shifted to Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College (RPGMC) in Kangra, whereas the rest eight will be sent to Employees' State Insurance (ESI) Hospital at Katha village in Solan's Baddi area for treatment, Kumar said.

The three-km area around the mosque in Kuthera Kherla has been sealed and the five-km area has been declared a buffer zone as per protocol, he said. Efforts are on to trace the contacts of the new positive cases, Kumar said.