Tripura law minister Ratan Lal Nath on Tuesday said 108 people have been put in quarantine, who came in contact with the first positive Covid-19 patient of the state.

Nath, who is also the cabinet spokesperson, said, “The health department and civil administration have identified 108 people who came in contact with a woman of Gomati district, who tested positive on Monday, including her relatives, neighbours and the ambulance driver who brought her to the hospital. Among them, 17 are high-risk contacts and their samples were collected for testing, including the driver and three of her family members. Some among them were put in the quarantine facility and some of them were home quarantined.”

The ambulance driver, three family members, 34 neighbours and a person who came to visit her from Amarpur subdivision, were shifted to the institutional quarantine centre, while seven doctors who attended her were shifted to a special quarantine facility. Twelve relatives and 32 passengers who travelled with her on train were also identified and quarantined. Eighteen nurses, paramedics and ward boys are also under home quarantine.

“The 45-year old woman said she visited Guwahati on March 14, went to the Kamakhya temple, and returned on March 19. After she came back, she consulted doctors at the district hospital. On April 5, she received treatment at a private hospital in Agartala and was later shifted to the flu ward in GB Pant Hospital. Later that day, she was put under quarantine. On April 6, we collected her blood samples, which tested positive for coronavirus,” Nath told reporters.

Earlier on Tuesday, Gomati district magistrate T.K. Debnath said they have cordoned off a 1km radius around her residence as the “core zone”. Surveillance will be carried out in all households within a 3km radius of the patient’s house, he added.

According to latest reports, 1,472 people are under surveillance for Covid-19 in Tripura, including 155 housed at quarantine centres and 1,317 under home quarantine.

Meanwhile, an Air India cargo flight from Calcutta landed at Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport here bringing essential medical supplies, weighing 1,356kg. A technician accompanied the flight to give technical support to the state for installation of medical equipment at Agartala Medical College and Hospital.