Coronavirus crisis: In Punjab, 14 health officials test positive for COVID-19

Amritsar, May 11: On Sunday, the Punjab Health Department went into a tizzy after 14 state health officials, including doctors, posted in Ropar district tested positive for COVID-19. Ropar Deputy Commissioner Sonali Giri reportedly said that six health officials out of 14 posted in the district, including two doctors, belonged to Ropar district while the others hailed from outside.

An official from the Health Department said of the eight positive health officials from outside Ropar district, seven are from Mohali and one is from Chandigarh.

It is reportedly said that an exercise was underway to ascertain where exactly the health officials were posted in the district. Ropar SMO was among the two doctors from the district who tested positive for COVID-19.

Reacting to this, Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said the officials who tested positive were "asymptomatic". He added that apart from doctors, the officials testing positive were paramedical staff.

Of 1,823 testing positive, more than 1,200 are pilgrims who returned from Nanded, accounting for around 67 per cent of the total positive cases in the state. According to the Health Ministry, there are 1,626 active cases and 166 patients recovered in the state so far.