DMs impose weekend lockdown in Jammu, Udhampur
* 12 more of soft drinks company infected
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, July 19: Two women today died of Coronavirus while 105 others tested positive in Jammu region including 12 more workers of a soft drinks company at Bari Brahamna in Samba district, 28 persons in Rajouri, all locals, 25 security personnel, majority of them from para-military forces and three Personal Security Officer (PSOs) of a senior IAS officer, in Jammu district, another doctor of Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu, a Government official of Agriculture Department in Udhampur and two pregnant women in Doda while the administration ordered week-end lockdown in Jammu and Udhampur districts from July 24.
A 48-year-old woman who was symptomatic for last seven days like breathlessness, cough and high fever was brought to the GMC Jammu at 5 am today and died 50 minutes later in the Emergency Ward, Medical Superintendent Dr Dara Singh told the Excelsior.
He said the woman’s body was kept in mortuary and COVID test was conducted which came positive this evening. The woman hailed from Karan Bagh in Gadigarh area of Jammu district and had returned from Poonch 10 days back.
Her body will be handed over to the family for cremation as per the COVID Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) tomorrow morning.
Rajouri district today reported second Corona casualty and no let up in positive cases as 28 more people, majority of them locals, were found infected today, mostly from the Red Zones and contact of the already positive cases including three in the town, SSP Rajouri Chandan Kohli told the Excelsior.
A 55-year-old woman from Darhal, who was suffering from multiple problems, including hyperglycaemia, diabetes and hypertension and was tested positive for COVID-19 on June 17, a day after her admission, died in the Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu at 2 am today.
The woman was on oxygen throughout her hospitalization period.
Her body was packed as per protocol and was buried in her native village of Darhal with limited family members allowed to join burial.
With two deaths today, Jammu’s Corona casualties have gone up to 20 including 12 in Jammu district, two each in Doda and Rajouri and one each in Kathua, Poonch, Samba and Udhampur.
Meanwhile, 45 persons today reported Corona positive in Jammu district. They include nearly 25 security personnel, majority from para-military forces and Jammu and Kashmir Police.
Three PSOs of a senior IAS officer also tested positive in Jammu on their arrival from Srinagar. A Post Graduate doctor from Orthopaedics Department of the GMC Jammu reported positive tonight.
A 43-year-old Army jawan and his 10-year-old daughter, residents of Khour, Akhnoor, who had returned from Ladakh and a 53-year-old man from Tarlokpur near Talab Tillo and his 21-year-old son too reported positive today.
Other positives of Jammu district include 54-year-old man from Talab Khatikan, 30-year-old from Bakshi Nagar, 57-year-old from Akhnoor, teen-ager from Trikuta Nagar, youth from Arnia, 43-year-old from Bantalab, 42-year-old from Gangyal, 35-year-old from Jourian and four persons from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, who were working in Katra, Kishtwar, Gangyal and Bohri Talab Tillo.
Meanwhile, District Magistrate Jammu Sushma Chauhan today announced lockdown in Jammu district on weekends from 6 pm on all Fridays till 6 am on all Mondays beginning from July 24.
The District Magistrate has invoked Section 34 of the Disaster Management Act to impose the weekend restrictions.
The decision comes in the wake of sudden surge in Coronavirus positive case in Jammu district including 45 today taking total cases in the district to 629 and active cases to 212 besides 12 casualties.
“There will be complete restrictions on movement of individuals, vehicles and all activities within entire jurisdiction of district Jammu except for emergency medical requirements for which no pass is required,” the DC Jammu’s order said.
It added that only Chemist, fruits, vegetable and dairy shops can remain accessible for community needs during weekend lockdown while passengers coming out from and going to Airport/Railway Stations will be permitted to move on production of tickets. The Government employees of essential services’ departments including Medical staff or other departments as required by the Government will be allowed to move on production of ID proof.
“There will be no restrictions on the movement of goods carries, oil and LPG tankers,” according to the order.
District Magistrate Udhampur Dr Piyush Singla also ordered imposition of weekend lockdown in entire Udhampur district from 10 pm every Friday to 5 am every Monday starting July 24.
He said essentials like dairy, fruits, vegetables, Chemist shops etc will be allowed to operate.
Meanwhile, all 28 positives of Rajouri were sampled during aggressive testing being carried out in the Red Zones. All of them have been shifted to COVID Care Facilities of the district.
Four of them including a woman belonged to Sarnoo, Kalakote, all of whom were contacts of positive cases, six to Red Zone of Sunderbani, one of them a woman, three each to Samote and Mohra, both Red Zones, three to Rajouri town in Red Zone areas, and one each to Malyar Mohalla, Chaprian, Khah No. 2, Khah No. 4, Nowshera, Bakher, Lamberi and Thannamandi.
Only one positive person from Kheora had travel history of Punjab and rest all 27 infected by the virus today were without any travel history.
Yesterday, 39 persons, again majority of them locals, had tested Corona positive in Rajouri district.
A number of towns and villages have already been declared as Containment/Red Zones by the district administration of Rajouri to strictly enforce restrictions.
Twelve more workers of soft drinks Company at Bari Brahamna today tested positive for the virus in Samba district.
SSP Samba Shakti Pathak told the Excelsior that six workers of the soft drinks company who test positive today hailed from Dumka in Jharkhand and one from Devria in Uttar Pradesh. Others were locals of Jammu region from Bhaderwah in Doda, Ramnagar in Udhampur district, New Plot, Bhagwati Nagar and Talab Tillo in Jammu district.
With today’s positives, 76 workers of the soft drinks Company of Bari Brahamna have tested Corona positive so far.
The administration has already banned sale of products manufactured by the Company on or after June 20. The companys writ at Bari Brahamna has been declared as Containment Zone.
Seven persons including an Agriculture Department official today tested positive in Udhampur district, District Magistrate Udhampur Dr Piyush Singla said.
The positives include An Agriculture Department official aged 55 hailing from Lambi Gali in Udhampur, who was contact of a positive person, an eight-year-old girl from Sattaini whose father is already positive, 13-year-old girl from Shiv Nagar, a youth from Kallar, another youth from Kela, Ramnagar, a pregnant woman from Jakhaini and 55-year-old man from Battal Balian.
Eight persons today reported positive for COVID-19 in Kathua district including a local tanker driver from Ward No. 14 while seven others were travellers, who had returned from different States and were under administrative quarantine.
District Magistrate Kathua OP Bhagat said Ward No. 14 of Kathua has been declared as Containment/Red Zone as this was second Corona positive case reported from there during last four days.
Three persons reported positive for the virus in Doda district.
They include two pregnant women from Doda town and Thathri and one traveller, who had reached the town from outside a day before and was under quarantine.
Reasi district also reported just one Corona case—a 20-year-old girl of village Tote Bhamag who had travel history of Bengaluru and was under administrative quarantine at Jyotipuram.
As per the official figures, Jammu region now has 2787 Corona positive cases including 1032 active as 1736 patients have been treated and discharged from the hospitals while there have been 20 deaths.
Twenty seven patients were today treated and discharged from various COVID hospitals in the region including 12 from Jammu, eight Kathua, six in Doda and one in Ramban district.
Of total discharged patients, 11 were treated and sent home from the Chest Diseases Hospital, Bakshi Nagar, Medical Superintendent Dr Rajeshwar Sharma said.
Meanwhile, 19 more persons today tested positive for COVID-19 in the Union Territory of Ladakh, all in Leh district.
Ladakh now has 1178 Corona cases including 445 in Leh and 733 in Kargil and 173 active cases—143 in Leh and 30 in Kargil. As many as 1003 Corona patients have been treated and discharged from the hospitals—301 in Leh and 702 in Kargil while there have been two Corona casualties.
Of total positives, 27 have been admitted in COVID hospitals, 51 were in home isolation, five in COVID Care Centres and 89 in Facility Isolation.
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