Ranchi, Apr 20 (IANS): Even as the Jharkhand government is making efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus in the state, the Hindpidhi area in state capital Ranchi has emerged as a hotspot for the disease.

Jharkhand has so far reported 41, out of which 24 were reported in Ranchi. Of these 24, as many as 23 were from Hindpidhi area.

One of the two persons who died of COVID-19 in Jharkhand was from Hindpidhi.

Last week, officials who went to sanitise the area had complained that local residents had spit on them. The area residents have also come face to face with the police in the past.

The authorities have since sealed Hindpidhi area, banning entry and exit of persons. For the last three days, authorities have been supplying ration and other essentials to area people through volunteers.

Authorities said they aimed to supply such material to 8,000 households in Hindpidhi.

In March, police had detained 25 persons from a religious place in Hindpidhi, including 19 foreigners. One Malaysian woman had subsequently tested positive for coronavirus, the first such case from Jharkhand.