Chandigarh, March 30: Punjab has reported the second death due to COVID-19. According to officials, the second deceased was in a close contact with the state's first casualty Baldev Singh and both were 'granthis'. A granthi is the  keeper and the reader of the Sikh scripture. The second deceased, identified as Harbhajan Singh, 62, died on Sunday night. He a resident of Hoshiarpur town and was undergoing treatment at Government Medical Hospital in Amritsar. Harbhajan Singh's wife, son and daughter-in-law and a neighbour have been undergoing coronavirus treatment at Hoshiarpur.

Baldev Singh is suspected to have infected 27 people, including his 14 family members. According to reports, the medical history of Harbhajan Singh says he was diabetic and suffering from hypertension. In Punjab, the total number of coronavirus cases rose to 39 in the state. Baldev Singh, Who Died Due to COVID-19 in Punjab, Met Hundreds; District Admin Locks Down Village.

Reports inform that both- Baldev Singh and Harbhajan Singh, had returned from Germany and Italy. They met everyone despite advisory on landing in Delhi's IGI Airport on March 7 for isolation at home. As per details by Deputy Commissioner Shivdular Dhillon, Harbhajan Singh had travel history with Baldev Singh.

Baldev Singh, the first casualty in Punjab due to coronavirus, was a resident of Banga town in Nawanshahr district. He died following a heart attack on March 19, but was diagnosed to be coronavirus positive after his death. In Punjab, nearly 70 per cent of state's COVID-19 positive cases have been traced to 'super spreader' Baldev Singh.

In India, the total COVID-19 positive cases jumped to 1071 on Monday, the Health Ministry informed. In the wake of the rising number of cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 had announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of the deadly virus. However, there have been some reports that the lockdown period will be extended after April 14, but the government said there were no plans of extending the shutdown and termed all such media reports as false and baseless.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 30, 2020 01:22 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).