12 members of a single-family in Sangli district’s Islampur village in Maharashtra have tested positive for the novel COVID-19. Initially, 4 members of the family, who had returned from Haj in Saudi Arabia, were tested positive for the virus on March 23 after they were admitted to the isolation ward in Miraj on March 19.

However, by March 25, five more members of the family had tested positive for the contagion. A day later, on Thursday, another 3 in the family were confirmed to have acquired the infection, taking the total tally of the family to 12.

While the 11 infected from the coronavirus are resident of Sangli’s Islampur village, the 12th one who confirmed to have contracted the infection hails from Pethwadgaon village of Kolhapur district. She had visited her relatives in Sangli after their return from Haj.

With 12 cases of COVID-19 emerging from the same family, Islampur has been put on strict monitoring. Sangli district collector Abhijeet Chaudhary confirmed 3 new cases of coronavirus from the family of Haj returnees on Thursday. He said that their throat swab samples which were sent to the Pune’s The National Institute of Virology(NIV) on March 25, were tested positive for the Chinese virus.

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According to Sangli district civil surgeon Sanjay Salunkhe, 11 more swab samples of close contacts and relatives suspicious of carrying the virus have also been sent to the NIV whose results are likely to be recieved on Friday. He also said that a team has been sent to Islampur to collect 23 more swab samples of close contacts of the family, who are still quarantined at home.

Soon after 4 members of the family who had returned from their Haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia tested positive for the deadly contagion, 27 of their relatives were sent into quarantine. “Swab samples of seven people were collected on Monday(March 23). Out of those 7, 5 turned positive while the remaining two were negative. All the positive cases are being treated at Miraj Civil Hospital and every required precaution is being taken,” Salunkhe said.