3 new COVID-19 cases in Gautam Buddh Nagar, sector housing MP Mahesh Sharma's residence sealed

Three more people -- one in Noida and two in Greater Noida -- tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, taking the tally in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar district to 95, officials here said.

The district administration has ordered temporary sealing of the areas linked to the new patients, including Noida's posh sector 15A, where Gautam Buddh Nagar MP Mahesh Sharma also resides.

The administration has strictly restricted the movement of people into or out of sector 15A till May 3, except for emergency cases, the officials said.

Meanwhile, two other patients, who were undergoing treatment for the disease, were discharged after being cured, they said.

"Three new cases have been detected on Saturday. A 70-year-old woman from sector 15A in Noida and a 39-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman from Acchar village in Greater Noida have tested positive for the coronavirus," District Surveillance Officer Sunil Dohare said.

The elderly woman is a resident of Delhi and was visiting her son in Noida, Dohare said, adding she was tested at a private lab.

"Eighty-two reports have been received in the last 24 hours, of which 79 resulted in negative and three positive. Total cumulative positive cases of coronavirus in Gautam Buddh Nagar so far is 95," the surveillance officer said in a statement.

The officer said 34 patients have been cured and discharged from hospitals in the district so far, leaving 61 cases of COVID-19 active.

According to the Health Department, 2,005 samples were taken for COVID-19 test till Saturday. Currently, 1,119 people across Noida and Greater Noida are under surveillance, while 500 are in institutional quarantine, the department said.

On cluster containment activity, the officials said 4,212 teams were deployed for gathering information and raising awareness in a concerted door-to-door campaign.

These teams have visited 4,15,369 houses so far and screened 12,24,278 people. They have identified 1,045 people who had travelled abroad in recent months. All travellers have been put under surveillance, the officials added.

Meanwhile, the district administration has temporarily sealed sector 15A in Noida till May 3, in compliance with protocols in a bid to contain the spread of the virus, Deputy Collector Rajiv Rai said.

During the period, entering or exiting the sector will remain banned, except in emergency cases, for which residents can inform the Health Department's control room on 8076623612 or 6396776904 or contact the chief medical officer, he said in an order.

Similarly, Acchar village and a private firm in Greater Noida's Kasna industrial area -- where one of the two new patients worked -- have been sealed until further orders, Deputy Collector Prasun Dwivedi said.

Violation of sealing orders will invite legal action, the administration warned.

Gautam Buddh Nagar, adjoining Delhi, in western UP is among the districts worst-hit by coronavirus in the state but has a better recovery record, according to statistics.

Uttar Pradesh has so far recorded 974 positive cases, with Agra (199) and Lucknow (163) on the top two positions, followed by Gautam Buddh Nagar (95), the statistics released by the state government on Saturday showed.