Pondy records highest surge of 112 Covid-19 cases

Puducherry registered its highest ever single day spurt of 112 Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, taking the aggregate number of those infected by the virus in the Union Territory to 1,151.

Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao said a total of 112 new cases were registered in Puducherry, Karaikal and Yanam regions during the last 24 hours ending 10 am. today, while Mahe continued to have seven cases taking the total infections to 1,151.

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While 79 new cases were reported in Puducherry region, Karaikal had 25 and Yanam had eight cases.

After transferring two cases from Yanam to Andhra Pradesh, the total fresh cases came to 112 while cumulative number of patients stood at 1,151.

Active cases were 553 (493 in Puducherry, 33 in Karaikal, 20 in Yanam and 7 in Mahe), while 584 patients were treated and discharged.

Fatalities continued to remain 14 as no death was reported during the last few days. A 58-year-old employee of the Raj Nivas, office of the Lt Governor here, tested positive and was admitted to JIPMER. He was among the fresh cases identified during the last 24 hours, an official source told PTI.

A release from Raj Nivas said that as per standard operating procedure the contact tracing of the employee was also done. The primary contacts in Raj Nivas have also been identified and sent for testing.

"Though asymptomatic they have been quarantined. Raj Nivas is being disinfected and will remain shut for the next 48 hours," it said. "The lone staff who has tested positive has no access to Lt Governor Kiran Bedi and her personal office. The Lt Governor is safe and healthy," it added.

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However, as a precaution the Lt Governor and also the staff attached to her personal office are being tested. Expressing concern over fresh cases crossing 100-mark, the Minister said the government should declare total lockdown on Sundays so that the spread of the infection could be controlled.

"We can have total lockdown on Sundays. I hope Chief Minister V Narayanasamy will make an appropriate announcement on total lockdown sooner than later. Traders and Merchants associations have also expressed cooperation to have the lockdown at a meeting recently," Rao said.

He also wanted the people to cooperate and follow safety norms so that there would be no room for the virus to gain grounds. Rao said mobile units to collect samples from people in rural areas were already pressed into service.

"To ensure that the swabs were collected at the doorsteps of the people in villages mobile teams were in operation and one more ambulance would be pressed into service in a couple of days," he said.

He said three of the 8 new cases admitted to the government hospital in Yanam, an enclave in Andhra Pradesh and home constituency of Health Minister, were workers belonging to the region and were working in a plant in Hyderabad.