By Dhirendra Prasad Sah, Rajbiraj, August 7: As many as 18 persons including five health workers tested positive for COVID-19 in Saptari in a single day.

After the health workers were found with the virus infection, services of Gajendra Narayan Singh Hospital have been halted since Friday morning.

"All the infected hospital health workers have been receiving treatment in isolation and 27 workers who had come in direct contact with the infected persons are placed in quarantine. Hence, we decided to halt all the services of the hospital," informed medical superintendent Dr. Ranjit Kumar Jha.

Jha said that the health services would be resumed from Saturday after managing all officials of the hospital.

"Until now, nine health workers have been infected with the virus in Gajendra Narayan Singh Hospital, where two have already recovered from the virus infection," added Jha.

Currently, seven infected health officials are receiving treatment in the hospital.

In the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test report, which was revealed on Thursday night, four workers of the emergency ward of the hospital and five health workers including one health assistant of Chinnamasta Hospital were detected with the virus infection, informed Duniyalal Yadav, chief of Saptari District Health Office.

Currently, there are 104 active cases of COVID-19 in Saptari and two have succumbed to the virus.