4 more Punjab MLAs test COVID-19 positive; total number 33

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Four more legislators in Punjab tested coronavirus positive, taking their total number to 33 of 117. "Four of our MLAs, Randeep Nabha, Angad Singh, Aman Arora and Parminder Dhindsa, have tested Covid-19 positive," Chief Minister Amarinder Singh informed in a tweet on Thursday.

"Wish them all a speedy recovery. Fight against Covid-19 is real and the onus is on all of us to observe full precautions, to test, and if found positive, to start treatment quickly," he added.

The legislators who have contracted the disease comprised five ministers in the government.

At 2.8 per cent, the state's death is the third worst in the country, bypassing the national capital. The national rate is 1.8 per cent.

Rajesh Bhaskar, Punjab's nodal officer for Covid-19, told IANS that the reason for the spike in deaths is that people are not coming forward for testing and they are only reporting when their condition deteriorates.

"That is why we have been asking the people to opt home isolation if they don't want hospitalization," Bhaskar said.

In the highest single-day rise in deaths, 106 people succumbed to the virus on Wednesday. Besides, 1,514 new cases were reported.

The state toll has reached 1,618, while the number of cases climbed to 56,989.