Kangra: Coronavirus has reached in Himachal. First two coronavirus cases today tested positive in the preliminary tests conducted at Tanda Medical College.

A woman who had returned from Dubai and a man who returned from Singapore have become the first cases of Covid-19 in the Himachal Pradesh. Both the patients have been quarantined in Tanda Medical College.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, while addressing media at Shimla, conformed the coronavirus cases at Tanda medical college.

Chief Minister said that State and District Nodal Officers have been appointed to monitor the situation and Helpline -104 was working round the clock at Call Centre. He said that isolation wards have been identified at 18 Health Institutions including all the Government Medical Colleges in state having total bed capacity of 102.

Jai Ram Thakur said Clinician In charge have been designated at IGMC Shimla and Dr. Rajendra Prasad Medical College Tanda, in district Kangra alongwith sample collection facility at Micro Biology Departments.

When asked about the hoarding, the Chief Minister assured to deal the cases of hoarding and profiteering sternly. He said that the government has also decided to postpone the date of payment of various public utility bills like electricity, water etc. without any extra charges.

Chief Minister said that government had also decided to reduce the interstate HRTC bus services upto 10 per cent only and only buses to places such as Delhi, Haridwar and Chandigarh would ply. He said that Intra State bus services of HRTC and private buses would be reduced by 50 per cent and no bus would be allowed to carry more than 70 percent passengers of its capacity.

Meanwhile, in neighbouring Chandigarh, 5 coronavirus cases were reported so far. Four more people tested positive for coronavirus in Chandigarh on Friday, taking the total cases in the city. After a 23-year-old student from Sector 21 who recently returned from the UK tested positive, authorities confirmed that three more people associated with her—mother, brother, and a domestic help—also had the disease. They were admitted to GMCH-32.

Coronavirus cases today jumped to 223 that includes 32 foreigners in India. Maharashtra has the highest number of 52 coronavirus patients in India and so far, four coronavirus patients have died.