No day picnics in Patnitop from Friday
*GMC doc, CRPF’s 2IC, YNC leader’s family too positive
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 13: Ninety three persons including 18 more workers of a soft drinks company of Bari Barahamana, 11 para-military personnel lodged at Police Training School (PTS) Kathua, a woman Second-in-Command Officer of CRPF stationed at Doda, a doctor of GMC Jammu, another Sub Inspector of Police and eight civilians of Talab Tillo including four family members of a Youth National Conference leader who had died of Corona last week tested positive for COVID-19 in Jammu region today while 53 patients were treated for the virus and discharged from various hospitals
In the Union Territory of Ladakh, seven more persons reported positive for the virus today.
SSP Jammu Sridhar Patil told the Excelsior that another probationary Sub Inspector posted at Arnia police station tested positive for COVID-19 today following which the police station building was immediately contained and all police personnel were quarantined there. The police station will receive complaints from Arnia Police Post till the police station building is locked, he said.
Contact tracing of the Sub Inspector is on, Patil said.
The Sub Inspector who hailed from New Plots was the third probationary SI to be tested positive for the virus during last two days. Yesterday, a PSI of Janipura police station and another PSI of IRP in Samba district had tested positive.
A Post Graduate student in Surgery Department of the Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu tested positive today.
GMC Medical Superintendent Dr Dara Singh said since the PG doctor was living in the hostel, his contact tracing is on for isolation and sampling. The doctor has been hospitalized.
A total of seven persons including four family members and three contacts of Youth National Conference leader who had died of Corona last week reported positive today from Talab Tillo area. They include brother, daughter and two cousins of the YNC leader and three contacts. The YNC leader’s cousins had attended him in the GMC Jammu during hospitalization. A 51-year-old person from Talab Tillo who was not contact of the positive person also tested COVID positive this evening.
Other positives of Jammu district include, a 28-year-old female, 34-year-old from Bakshi Nagar, a youth from Trikuta Nagar, middle-aged man from Digiana, 34-year-old male from Jakhbar, a 30-year old CRPF constable, a youth from Srinagar, 29-year-old youth from Madhya Pradesh who had reached Akhnoor for work, 39-year-old from RS Pura, middle-aged man from Bishnah and 41-year-old police constable of Baramulla who had returned here for duty after availing leave.
A private hospital near Talab Tillo was sealed today as a pregnant woman of Dogra Hall who was under treatment in the hospital reported positive for the virus. Staff of the hospital has been quarantined for sampling.
A total of 25 persons including 15 travelers and 10 others have tested positive in Jammu district today.
District Magistrate Jammu Sushma Chauhan today declared Ward No. 6 Canal Road and Simbal Morh Panchayat Makhanpur Gujjaran under the jurisdiction of Miran Sahib police station in RS Pura tehsil as Containment/Red Zone.
Meanwhile, District Magistrate Udhampur Dr Piyush Singla today announced complete ban on day time picnickers at tourist resort of Patnitop from Friday and only those people having confirmed booking in the hotels will be allowed to move ahead from Chenani.
“The decision has been taken in view of huge rush of people at Patnitop and Natha Top during past few days especially the weekends leading to violation of social distancing,” Dr Singla said.
He said the new restrictions will come into force from Friday.
“All those heading towards Patnitop will be screened at Chenani on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and only those having confirmed reservation in the hotels will be allowed to proceed to the tourist spot,” he said, adding the bookings can be shown in mobile telephones, e-mails or other valid modes of communication. The hotels have been allowed 100 percent occupancy.
Dr Singla said all service providers at the tourist resort were sampled earlier and only those who tested negative were allowed to work. Random and periodic sampling of the hoteliers, service providers and other stakeholders at Patnitop will continue, he added. Those not wearing face masks at Patnitop will be fined Rs 1000.
Twenty eight persons today reported positive for the virus in Samba district including 18 more workers of soft drinks company of Bari Barahamana, SSP Samba Shakti Pathak said.
This is for the single day highest figure of Corona positive cases in Samba district since the pandemic broke out.
All 18 positives of the soft drinks company hailed from Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and were presently under quarantine at the soft drinks company’s complex at Bari Barahamana.
With this, a total of 58 employees of the soft drinks company have reported positive for the virus so far.
Ten other positives of the district were returnees from various States who were under quarantine in Samba district.
Sixteen persons tested Corona positive in Kathua district. Of them, 11 were jawans of CISF and ITBP under administrative quarantine at Police Training School (PTS) Kathua.
Five other positives of the district were workers from various States and were also under quarantine, District Magistrate OP Bhagat said, adding the workers had returned by road from Lakhanpur. Another 1590 people today crossed Lakhanpur to enter Jammu and Kashmir including number of workers from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar who were sent for administrative quarantine at different places in Kathua and Samba districts.
A total of nine persons reported positive for the virus in Ramban district today, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Ramban Dr Mohammad Fareed Bhat said.
Of nine positives, one was an official of RTO office, a Government teacher and a police constable.
Six other positives of Ramban district include two from Red Zone of Tethar in Banihal, three contacts of a private Railway company’s official and one resident of Khari who was tested positive during random sampling, Dr Bhat said.
Following spurt in COVID cases in Banihal, District Magistrate Ramban Nazim Zai Khan today imposed restrictions in Banihal.
All shops and business establishment except medical shops, workshops and works allowed through passes issued by the District Magistrate will remain closed in Banihal till further order. Public transport has been banned in Banihal tehsil. However, ambulances, vehicles carrying patients, travelers with valid passes and departmental ID cards will be allowed to operate.
A Second-in-Command female CRPF officer of 33 battalion was among six persons who reported positive for the virus in Doda district today.
The 2IC CRPF officer aged 54 was tested as number of jawans from the battalion had reported positive on their return from leave. Two SSB jawans from Khalaini, an IRP constable from Bhaderwah, 12-year-old-boy from Hamdampur and 27-year-old youth from Ghat also tested positive in Doda.
Four persons tested positive in Kishtwar district today including two police constables who had reported back to duty after leave, a Medical Representative of Chatroo and a traveler.
District Magistrate Kishtwar Rajinder Singh Tara said all of them have been shifted to COVID facilities.
Poonch district also reported four new positive cases including two persons of Wazi Mohra, one from Rajasthan and another from Thanna Mandi.
SSP Poonch Ramesh Angral said they have been shifted to COVID hospitals.
A 37-year-old man from Madha Kolkata tested positive in Udhampur district.
Reasi and Rajouri districts didn’t report any Corona positive cases today.
Fifty three persons were today treated and discharged from various COVID hospitals in Jammu region including 26 in Udhampur district, 13 Kathua, nine Jammu, three Ramban and one each in Samba and Doda districts.
Four patients were today discharged from the Chest Diseases Hospital in Bakshi Nagar Jammu, Medical Superintendent Dr Rajeshwar Sharma said.
As per the official figures, Jammu region now has 2332 Corona cases but, of them, only 789 were active. As many as 1526 Corona patients have been treated and discharged while there were 17 casualties in the region.
Meanwhile, seven persons today tested positive for COVID-19 in the Union Territory of Ladakh, all in Leh district.
Ladakh now has 1093 Corona cases including 368 in Leh and 725 in Kargil and 146 active cases, 116 in Leh and 30 in Kargil.
As many as 946 patients have been treated and discharged in Ladakh-251 in Leh and 695 in Kargil while there has been one Corona casualty.
Of total positive cases of Ladakh, 21 were admitted in COVID hospitals, 118 were in home isolation and seven in COVID Care Centres.
Meanwhile, the district administration Leh today ordered relaxations as part of ‘Unlock 2’.
“All restaurants/dhabas and other hospitality services will function with 50 percent seating capacity. Public transport buses/mazda buses) will operate with 25 percent seating capacity,’’ a Govenment order said.
The administration has asked the restaurants to make seating arrangements in such a way that adequate social distancing is made and disposable Menus are used. Only asymptomatic staff will be allowed.
The bus operators have also been asked to maintain social distancing among passengers.
“Municipal Committee Leh will mark circles at the Bus Stops. All the bus owners will ensure availability of hand sanitizers in the buses,’’ the order said.
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