Chandigarh, March 27: One deceased COVID-19 infected person in Punjab is blamed for spreading the disease to at least six districts of the state. The late 70-year-old Baldev Singh is held responsible by authorities for their decision to quarantine over 20,000 villagers in Nawanshahr district alone. The quarantined population spreads over 15 villages, and had came into direct or indirect contact with him in the two-week period before his demise.

The districts where Baldev took the disease along with him include - Nawanshahr, Mohali, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Amritsar and Ludhiana. The regions were dotted by him after his arrival in Delhi on March 6 - following a four-day trip to Germany and a 10-day stay in Italy. Baldev Singh, Who Died Due to COVID-19 in Punjab, Met Hundreds; District Admin Locks Down Village.

From the Indira Gandhi International airport, he had taken a cab to his village in Nawanshahr. Enroute, he met several locals and relatives in neighbouring villages. He also took part in the festivities associated with Hola Mohalla 2020 religious event in Anandpur Sahib, located in Rupnagar district of Punjab.

Before his symptoms turned serious in second week of March - which forced his admission to the hospital - the 70-year-old is estimated to have met thousands across Punjab. The worst affected is his home-district Nawanshahr, where 19 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 so far, followed by five in Mohali, four in Jalandhar, three in Hoshiarpur and one each in Amritsar and Ludhiana.

Baldev succumbed to the coronavirus infection on March 19. His demise alarmed the authorities across Punjab, which began tracing his movement since his return from the two-week Europe visit. Subsequently, the villages where he interacted with locals were being quarantined -- with all members of all households asked to remain indoors and entry-exit points sealed.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 27, 2020 11:37 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).