17 corona cases in Azadpur Mandi till date

Retail traders are constantly picking fruits and vegetables from the market. (Photo: IANS)


With one new coronavirus positive case, the total number of infected persons linked with Asia’s largest wholesale market of fruits and vegetable, Azadpur Mandi, reached 17 on Saturday, an official said.

All these 17 cases surfaced after April 20, of which one trader has died.

Adil Ahmad Khan, Chairman, Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) of Azadpur Mandi, told IANS that 28 shops of infected traders have been shut so far and 43 staff and labourers have been quarantined in the market itself. Mandi authorities are providing them food and other necessities.

The district surveillance team is tracing the people who came in contact with the infected persons.

Asked about the test reports of samples collected by the doctors in the past few days, he said they have not come so far.

Meanwhile, two medical teams have been deployed in the mandi for screening of traders, labourers, drivers, and farmers. The medical teams have screened over 775 persons so far and the samples of the suspected patients are also being collected, said the APMC Chairman.