By Tenzin Lekdhen
BANGALORE, Apr. 29: The worsening Covid-19 situation at Tibetan Youth Hostel (TYH) in Bangalore where a cluster case was discovered last week has further deteriorated as additional cases were discovered. In addition to the 15 cases last week, 25 more people have tested positive for the virus as of Tuesday, taking the total tally to 45, the Director of TYH Bangalore told Phayul.
The infected students are quarantined at different areas within the premises of the hostel compound to avoid any further transmission of the virus. “A group of students are quarantined in the auditorium, another group in the hostel’s library, and the remaining in the on-site guest houses. The students in quarantine facilities are delivered food in disposable food containers,” a student currently in quarantine told Phayul.
After one of the kitchen staff reportedly tested positive, a makeshift group of kitchen team comprising of students and staff are preparing and serving food for the rest of the students.
The first positive cases were discovered when a supply of 25 Rapid Test kits were sent to the hostel by Bylakuppe Health Centre to test a group of symptomatic students. Two nursing students volunteered to carry out the testing in the absence of any professionals. The hostel management along with the assistance of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) tested everyone on the premise. As of now, there are no reports of any critically ill patients.
In contrast, the Tibetan Youth Hostel in New Delhi, seen as one of the worst hit and the country’s epicentre of the deadly second wave, has reported no cases since the dawn of this pandemic. The compound has remained closed from the beginning of the first lockdown that was imposed across India during the first wave.
The Tibetan Youth Hostel in Bangalore is one of the several Tibetan communities in India that felt the second wave of the menacing virus. The CTA’s Department of Health, on their website, reports a total of 480 active cases across Tibetan communities in India, Nepal, and Bhutan as of 27th April.
One Response
I was really disappointed that why sikyong visiting is showing so important and why not our brothers and sisters suffering from covid at Bangalore is not showing in CTA official web site ? Shame on u those who are working on Tibet.net and collecting only sikyong information .