All except one man out of 42 residents in Thorang village of Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul tested positive for COVID-19. 52-year-old Bhushan Thakur was the only person who was found negative during the testing while other 41 have tested positive in the Thorang village.
A total of 890 people of Lahaul-Spiti district, accounting for about 2.83 per cent of its population of around 31,500, have been found infected with COVID-19 so far, an Himachal Pradesh Health Department data showed on Friday. The district has been one of the worst affected in terms of population ration in the state.
The outspread is being traced to a religious programme which was held a few days back, resulting in community transmission sources said. People from the surrounding areas are also feared COVID-19 positive, a The Times of India report stated. Thorang village is currently home to only 42 residents as others have migrated to Kullu for winter.
The administration has restricted tourism movement to Teling nullah near the north portal of the Rohtang Tunnel to curb the spread. Moreover, tourists weren’t permitted to enter Lahaul villages on Thursday as the village beyond Rohtang Tunnel has been declared as containment zone.
“I am staying in a separate room and have been cooking my meals for the last four days. I was with my family members until we got to know about the results. However, I was strict about the protocols like sanitising hands, wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing in public areas. People should not take this disease lightly,” Bhushan, whose five family members were tested positive said.
Dr R C Thakur, the principal of Lal Bahadur Shashtri Government Medical College in Mandi and a Lahaul district native, has attributed the increasing COVID-19 cases in the district to three reasons — a recent religious function in Lahaul, extreme winter and the arrival of many tourists in the district after the opening of Atal Tunnel Rohtang.
Meanwhile, a district health official said they have initiated special awareness programmes to help people guard against the infection. The deadly COVID-19 has claimed 484 lives till date in Himachal Pradesh, as per the Health Department data.
