Additional Chief Secretary Health R.D. Dhiman here today said that effective steps were being taken to contain the spread of corona pandemic in the State.
- D. Dhiman said that the parameters of corona of the state were better than other states. He said that regular COVID-19 testing was being done in state and as per the parameters of WHO and GoI the corona infection rate should be less than 5 percent. He said that despite the comprehensive testing, the corona positive rate was 1.3 percent, whereas the death rate was 0.84 percent in the State. He said that 17000 samples per million were being taken in state whereas 11000 per million tests were being taken in the country. He said that despite comprehensive testing for coronavirus, cases were comparatively less in the State.
He said that a person had visited Shimla from Mandi on 21st July,2020, who was later tested as corona positive. It has been found that the person had come in contact of some persons in the HP Secretariat. The contact tracing of primary contacts of the corona positive patient was done today and samples of the primary contacts were collected. Three persons including a senior officer of the Secretariat had been found positive today. Primary contacts of these corona positive persons have been asked to go into home quarantine. They would be re-tested and after 5-6 days of quarantine on being reported negative they would be allowed to join their duties. He said that officials of CM office and Oakover have been asked to self quarantine themselves.
ACS said that the economic activities started in the State. Most of the corona positive cases that have been reported were of people who had come from outside the State. He said that new instructions have been issued by the State Government on 14th July,2020 and the protocol has been redefined. As per the new guidelines, the migrant labourers coming from other states would be sent to Institutional Quarantine and after being tested negative they would be allowed to go to their workplace.