By Choekyi Lhamo
DHARAMSHALA, Nov.17: Two Tibetan civil servants in the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), the seat of the exile Tibetan government has tested positive for Covid-19. The Health Department Secretary Palden Dhondup confirmed the cases on Tuesday, “We have detected two Covid-19 cases; one was reported from the quarantine center and another from the CTA premises.”
The CTA Task Force has initiated contact tracing of one individual from the CTA who has reportedly come in contact with almost 86 people. Secretary Palden said that all the tests will be carried out in two days and if all reports come out negative, CTA will reopen the departments which have been closed for now.
Both the patients have been reported to be asymptomatic as of now. Citing the cases of a recent Covid-19 cluster case in the Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV) schools, the spokesperson urged Tibetans in Dharamshala to observe preventive measures like wearing masks and washing hands and maintaining social distance to tackle the infection. The Health Department has tested over 500 civil servants during the course of the pandemic via RT-PCR tests.
The Health Department Secretary said that the task force is working towards acquiring proper hand-sanitizing products and other equipment for the civil servants in view of the rising cases. He also stressed the need to be vigilant as the cases have risen due to the overwhelming presence of tourists in Mcleod Ganj from neighbouring Haryana, Delhi, and Chandigarh among others.
