23-year-old woman tests positive, 1st coronavirus case in Chandigarh

Chandigarh, Mar 19: A 23-year-old woman, who returned from London, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the first confirmed case of the deadly infection in the Union territory, an official said on Thursday.

The sample of the woman, a resident of Sector 21, was tested at the testing centre at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), the official said.

"The sample of the woman, who returned from London, has come positive," PGIMER Director Jagat Ram told PTI. Ram, however, said she was admitted to a local hospital here and her condition was stable, adding that it was the first confirmed COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) case in Chandigarh.

Meanwhile, the administration has suspended the public dealing at the UT Secretariat as precautionary measure against the new coronavirus pandemic. The visit of common people to the offices during usual visiting hours from noon-1 pm is kept in abeyance.

Departments have also been advised to dispose of public work quickly so that they may not be forced to visit offices, according to the the order. All the staff in the departments or offices will be subjected to thermal scanning to diagnose any symptoms of the virus.

They have been advised not to convene meetings unless they are urgent, the order said. The administration had already ordered closure of cinemas, shopping malls, gymnasiums, swimming pools, pubs, spa centres and coaching centres till March 31. It has also ordered closure of famous Rock Garden as a precautionary measure in the wake of the coronavirus threat.

The novel coronavirus cases in India rose to 169 on Thursday after 18 fresh cases were reported from various parts of the country, according to the Union Health Ministry. The cases include 25 foreign nationals -- 17 from Italy, 3 from the Philippines, two from the UK, one each from Canada, Indonesia and Singapore.