Admn declares Red Zones to prevent spread of virus

Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Mar 31: A 10-year-old boy and mother-son duo were among 7 persons who tested positive for COVID-19 in Kashmir today taking the number of positive cases in Jammu and Kashmir to 56.
“6 new positive cases confirmed in Kashmir Division. All contacts of previous positive cases. Meanwhile contact tracing continues in both Jammu and Kashmir Divisions. Please cooperate. Let’s #Fightittogether,” tweeted Principal Secretary Information Department, Rohit Kansal. One more later in the evening tested positive and he has been shifted to Chest Diseases Hospital for treatment.
A 10-year-old boy, resident of Eidgah Srinagar, tested positive and he had no history of travel. He had hugged a man from Tablighi Jamaat in his area who later tested positive for the Coronavirus.

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A mother-son duo from Bemina area of Srinagar tested positive today. They have no travel history but are contacts of a person who tested positive and is admitted in the SKIMS Soura. The 30-year-old son and his 65-year old mother are admitted to JLNM hospital Rainawari and CD hospital Dalgate Srinagar respectively.
The three persons who tested positive today in SKIMS are a 23-year old man from Saderkoot Bala in Bandipora district who had recently returned from New Delhi where he participated in a religious function and other is 30-year-old man from same village who is contact of the previous COVID-19 positive man. Another one is a 34-year-old man from Soibugh Budgam who had returned from Saudi Arabia after performing Umrah.
Another person is 23-year-old man from Charar-e-Sharif area of district Budgam who was in quarantine in NIT Zakura in Srinagar and tested positive. His brother was also positive and had travelled to New Delhi where he attended a religious meeting. After the man tested positive, he was shifted to Chest Diseases Hospital in Srinagar for treatment.
Meanwhile, the Government has said that several areas surrounding location of COVID-19 cases or untraced contact cases had to be sealed in Srinagar, Pulwama, Shopian and Rajouri in the interest of controlling spread of the dreaded disease.
“Aggressive contact tracing of positive cases key to control spread of #Coronavirus. Yesterday several areas surrounding location of positive cases or untraced contact cases had to be sealed in Srinagar, Pulwama, Shopian and Rajouri,” tweeted Rohit Kansal.
“This is purely in the interest of controlling spread of #Coronavirus, and helping identification of contacts on real time basis. Inconvenience so caused is temporary in nature but benefits will be immense. Request all to cooperate and take it in right spirit,” he added.
Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary said the sealing of the areas is important and indispensable. “With some more cases coming positive, these areas will be restricted till all precautions and measures are in places,” he added.
Amid spurt in COVID-19 cases, administration today declared seven areas in central Kashmir and 20 villages in other parts of the Valley as Red Zones.
In Srinagar district, Mehjoor Nagar, Natipora, Lal Bazar, Eidgah and Shalteng have been declared as Red Zones while as Chadoora in Budgam district have also been declared as Red Zone.
“Similarly 20 villages including Parray Mohalla Hajin, Chandergeer Hajin, Batagund Hajin in Bandipora, Gudoora, Chandgam, Pinglena, Parigam, Abhama, Sangerwani and Khaigam in Pulwama and Waskura in Ganderbal besides Sedew and Ramnagri in Shopian have also been declared Red Zones to prevent spread of the deadly pandemic,” said an official.
In the meantime, curfew across Kashmir continued for the 12th consecutive day today. It was imposed last week after the first positive case of deadly Coronavirus was detected in the Valley.
The streets continued to be deserted and only people with emergencies were found out besides people on essential duty.
Police and paramilitary forces were deployed in strength today who enforced the restrictions across the Kashmir to prevent Coronavirus outbreak.
Police today booked and arrested several people for violating prohibitory orders in Kashmir and authorities appealed people to stay indoors.
In the meantime, police has asked Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) to isolate its men who were deployed for escort duties with the Mayor of Srinagar Municipal Corporation Junaid Azam Matoo from the last 10 days.
Senior Superintendent of Police, PCR Kashmir has written a letter to the Commandant of the 10th battalion of SSB, asking him that personnel who were deployed for escort duty for last 10 days with the Mayor may be kept in isolation being probable suspects for COVID-19 as a precautionary measure.
The letter has been sent after the brother of generator operator of Mayor SMC, who is a resident of Noorbagh Srinagar, tested positive for COVID-19.
The SSB security personnel were deployed for escort duties with the Mayor and the SSP PCR has said that there are chances of these men having come in contact with the generator operator or any other officials from security and other departments, who may be in contact with him (COVID-19 patient).

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