3 more positive cases of coronavirus in Punjab; total six patients in state now

Three more people in Punjab have tested positive for the new coronavirus, taking the total in the state to six, an official said on Saturday.

“Three more people have tested positive in Mohali,” Deputy Commissioner Girish Dayalan said.

Among the fresh cases is the sister of a 69-year-old Mohali woman who tested positive on Friday, he said.

Another person who tested positive had come in contact with a Chandigarh-based 23-year-old coronavirus patient, Dayalan said.

The other person is a 42-year-old resident who had recently returned from the United Kingdom and was admitted to a government hospital in Sector-16 in Chandigarh, the official said.

The first coronavirus positive patient in Punjab had a travel history to Italy and the second person, who died on Wednesday in Nawanshahr, had returned from Germany via Italy.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday had asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a fiscal package to combat the coronavirus crisis and permission to get tests done at private hospitals and labs in the state.

The CM had expressed grave concerns over the escalating COVID-19 crisis during a video conference convened by the PM with all the chief ministers to review the situation.

Singh has asked the deputy commissioners and the district police chiefs to chalk out a comprehensive strategy for containment of the disease.