An elderly lady in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur recently tested positive for the deadly coronavirus, which has killed more than 3.4 lakh people and infected over five million across the world.
Following this, rumours spread that she contracted the virus from Udhampur Sabzi Mandi where one of her sons works. People started to panic as hundreds go there to buy vegetables.
The claim
It was speculated that she might have got the infection from his two sons. One of them works in the Sabzi Mandi, while another at a private clinic's lab. However, it turned out they mere rumours as authorities ruled out Sabzi Mandi source after 250 vendors and dealers tested negative for the coronavirus.
The Investigation
IBTimes contacted Dr Piyush Singla, Udhampur Deputy Commissioner, to seek clarity on the issue. He told us that none of the 250 people working in the 'sabzi mandi' tested positive for coronavirus, thus ruling out the fears of the source from the mandi. "None tested positive, 250 sampled," Dr Singla confirmed to IBTimes, India.
Moreover, none of the family members of the elderly lady has so far tested positive, the Udhampur Deputy Commissioner said. He also put out a tweet informing about the sabzi mandi sampling.
"In a recent stray positive case from Udh (Udhampur) city, aggressive contact tracing and sampling helped. Fear of source from Sabzi Mandi ruled out. 250 Sabzi Mandi traders/vendors sampled. All negative. Adhere (to) protocols and remain safe. Cooperation solicited," he wrote.
So far, 1489 people have tested coronavirus positive in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Of the total number, 720 people have recovered while 749 are active cases. Twenty people have died of the COVID-19 in Jammu and Kashmir. In India, the number of coronavirus positive cases have crossed 1.25 lakh, with nearly 51,000 recoveries and 3,720 deaths.
