As many as 10,000 people have returned in the last four weeks from red zones to Hamirpur district, which has the highest number of Covid-19 cases in Himachal Pradesh.

Over 16,000 people returned from other states to Hamirpur district between April 26 and May 23, Deputy Commissioner Harikesh Meena said on Sunday.

Of them, nearly 10,000 returned from red zone areas, he added.

The number of infected people in Hamirpur district is 61 as against the hill state's total of 193, as of Sunday evening. Himachal Pradesh has 55 active Covid-19 cases.

The DC said the process of collecting samples of people coming from red zones was expedited.

So far, over 4,500 samples have been taken in the district and around 3,500 of them are from red zones, he added.

About 170 more people are soon returning to Hamirpur from red zones of Ahmedabad in Gujarat and Thane in Maharashtra in two trains, he added.

The DC maintained that over 13,000 people have completed their quarantine period in the district.

Meena paid surprise visits to various institutional quarantine centres on Sunday and directed persons posted there to take proper care of the people coming there.

He visited quarantine facilities set up in the premises of National Institute of Technology, Hamirpur and Government Degree College, Hamirpur and got information about lodging and various facilities provided to the people there.

The DC, accompanied by Sub-Divisional Officer (Civil) Dr Charanji Lal, instructed the officials concerned to ensure all necessary arrangements on time to keep various services here running smoothly.