Six new COVID-19 cases in Ladakh

Days after Ladakh was declared coronavirus free, six fresh cases have come to light in the union territory over the past three days with almost all of them having a travel history outside the Himalayan region, officials said on Saturday.

All the six new patients, five in Kargil and one in Leh, have been moved from the administrative quarantine to the COVID hospital for treatment. They include five Iran return pilgrims and a student, they said.

An official media bulletin said test samples of five people of Kargil district reported positive for COVID-19.

"The Health Department Leh received two positive reports of Iran returnees yesterday (Friday) who were already placed under facility quarantine at Kargil. While today, three positive reports were received among which two are Iran returnees and one is a student who had travelled by bus from Delhi to Kargil and was kept in hospital isolation," the bulletin read.

Earlier on May 21, one person with a travel history to Iran was tested positive for COVID-19 from the Chuchot Yokma area of Leh.

He was already placed under institutional quarantine after reaching Leh and on receiving the report he was shifted to Mahabodhi Hospital for isolation, it said.

On May 19, the Ladakh administration had declared the union territory COVID-19 free after the last two patients, out of the total 43 cases, were declared cured and subsequently discharged from the hospital in Leh.