A health worker and an assistant sub-inspector of police were among 15 people who were detected with Covid-19 at Rongli in East Sikkim on Tuesday, turning the rural subdivision into the state’s first coronavirus hotspot with 44 overall cases.

The 130 Road Construction Company (RCC) of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) based in Rongli Bazar has become the epicentre of the Covid spread with all but two cases directly linked to it. The East Sikkim district administration has issued a showcause to the officer in-charge of 130 RCC, who has been removed pending an internal inquiry by the BRO.

Rongli subdivision has been under complete lockdown since July 12, a day after 23 Covid cases were detected. All the cases were from the BRO camp at Rongli Bazar, which has been declared a containment zone.

On Tuesday, neighbouring Rhenock Bazar was also declared as a containment zone and total lockdown imposed in Pakyong subdivision as well.

Alarmed by the spike in the number of cases, Sikkim chief minister P.S. Tamang (Golay) chaired an emergency meeting of the State Task Force on Covid-19 here on Tuesday. Golay is understood to have directed the administration to strictly monitor the quarantine facilities of the BRO, army, and paramilitary forces.

“He called for immediate upgrade of quarantine facilities in Rongli and Pakyong subdivisions, and consider home quarantine option to manage the increase in the number of cases with strict orders for compliance,” said an official release issued here.

The government in a fresh notification barred the movement of private vehicles, including two-wheelers, throughout the state. Taxis will, however, continue to ply on odd/even basis. It has also stopped inter-district and intra-district travel. All travel passes issued earlier have been cancelled, and new passes would be issued only for official and emergency purposes. Gyms and bars, too, have been shut down once again.

A senior BRO official said it was mindful of the havoc caused by the coronavirus and was doing all within its means to stop the spread.

“We have removed the officer in-charge of 130 RCC pending an internal inquiry. We will be taking action on the basis of the inquiry report. We have stopped all work except the ongoing bridge construction on the road between Lingtam and Kupup,” said the official.

Passang Sherpa, the coordinator of Iam371F, a pressure group, however, accused the administration of negligence in allowing the entry of BRO officials and workers to the state without following the mandatory quarantine and testing protocols. “We demand stringent action against those people in the administration who facilitated the easy entry of BRO officials and workers, putting at risk the health and life of the Sikkimese people,” he said.