Accounting for 25 out of 60 Wuhan coronavirus positive cases reported from Rajasthan, Bhilwara turns into the COVID-19 capital of the state. And now, a new challenge awaits the state authorities in Rajasthan. Many people in Bhilwara, Rajasthan, who are not showing any documented symptoms of the infection, are now reportedly being tested positive for the deadly virus.

According to a report by Patrika, despite showing no symptoms, these people who were screened and their blood samples were tested, following the Rajasthan governments decision to screen the entire Bhilwara town for the novel coronavirus, have tested positive for the disease.

All this began when Bhilwara first discovered that two doctors and four medical staffs of the Brijesh Banger Memorial Hospital tested positive for the coronavirus on March 19. The coronavirus-infected doctors of this private hospital treated hundreds of patients before themselves testing positive for the virus. It sparked a scramble to detect their contacts and contain the spread.

Since then, the city has had 25 confirmed COVID-19 cases with two deaths (as of March 29), and almost all of them can be traced back to this private hospital.

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In view of the possibility of a widespread community outbreak, all the 265 staffs of the hospital were quarantined and their blood samples have been sent for testing. However, it has now emerged that few staffs who did not show any symptoms of the infection have also tested positive for the disease.

Doctors said the coronavirus impact was earlier concentrated near the hospital, but now it seems to be moving towards the community stage. They said till now doctors, nursing workers and other staff were the ones to be found positive, but now patients who had been in contact with them, or even others contacted by the medical personnel are turning out to be positive. And many of them have reportedly shown no signs of the illness, despite which they have been tested positive.

This had forced the Bhilwara administration to impose curfew in the entire district and seal all exits. Twenty-five other persons found to have been in immediate contact of affected doctors and health personnel were immediately quarantined. The administration ordered a complete lockdown, sealed markets and launched an all-out screening of 3.5 lakh people in 80,000 households. The exercise is halfway through, but the district magistrate has now alerted neighbouring districts, that a few patients who attended the hospitals were also suspects and needed to be tracked immediately.

Reports say that the administration is now sealing off entry and exit points in individual colonies and localities. The city has a ghost town look while strict curfew orders have been imposed.

The fear of moving towards the Stage-3 (community stage) of infection, has prompted the state health department to send a minibus to Nathdiyas, a large village located in Raipur Tehsil of Bhilwara district, Rajasthan, and pick up all the residing people from there irrespective of them showing the coronavirus symptoms or not. All the people have now been quarantined and will only be left after proper screening and tests.