Maharashtra govt should"ve tested them: Punjab Health Minister after returnee pilgrims found COVID-19 positive

Health Minister of Punjab, Balbir Singh Sidhu has blamed Maharashtra government for negligence in not ensuring proper quarantining of the pilgrims who returned to Punjab and at least 23 of them have tested positive for coronavirus.

While talking to ANI, Balbir Singh Sidhu said, "They were under Maharashtra government"s observation.

It was their duty to implement centre"s guidelines; their samplings and tests should have been done there.

Had they told us it hasn"t been done, we would"ve sent 2 teams there." "The teams would have tested them there and segregated them on its basis.

We would have brought them here in separate buses.

We would have kept the people who tested positive in isolation and the others in quarantine," Balbir Singh Sidhu further said.

The Sikh pilgrims were stranded at the gurdwara Hazur Sahib in Maharashtra"s Nanded amid the nationwide coronavirus lockdown.

They started returning to Punjab from April 22 but the order to quarantine them came five days later.