Shops to open for 2 hours for inspection of stocks in Jammu
72 prisoners, 9 staffers test +ve in Udhampur jail
Curfew extended in Ladakh as 2 more die, 177 infected
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 16: Fifty nine more COVID deaths and 4141 fresh cases were today reported in Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu region recorded 31 deaths and 1690 cases.
Among 31 Corona casualties in Jammu, 12 were women while three persons, positive for the virus, were brought dead to the hospitals. Jammu district reported maximum 16 casualties, Rajouri six, Kathua and Samba three each and Poonch, Doda and Udhampur districts one each.
The dead include a Professor posted in Rajouri College, two workers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, an Army officer’s father and a PDD official.
Assistant Professor Haroon Rashid, 33, posted in Degree College Rajouri and a native of the same district died due to COVID-19 at an Amritsar hospital today. He was son-in-law of District Development Council (DDC) member from Thanna Mandi Abdul Qayyum Mir.
Additional District Magistrate Rajouri Thakur Sher Singh told the Excelsior that body of the Professor will be brought to Rajouri and buried as per COVID protocol. The young Professor was earlier admitted in the GMC Rajouri.
Only yesterday, a senior Professor in the Central University of Jammu had died of COVID-19.
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One migrant worker each from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar also succumbed to the virus in Rajouri district.
An Army officer’s father breathed his last due to Coronavirus in the Military Hospital Satwari. A PDD official hailing from village Kokhyal in Kathua district died of COVID-19 in the GMC Kathua.
A 46-year-old Senior Manager (Human Resources) in the NHPC Sumith Ekka, hailing from Ranchi in Jharkhand died of COVID-19 in Kargil district in the Union Territory of Ladakh today.
Meanwhile, in an alarming signal, 72 prisoners, two of them females, and nine staff members today tested positive for COVID-19 in the District Jail Udhampur. A total of 479 prisoners were subjected to testing in the jail.
The positive prisoners are asymptomatic and have been isolated in a separate barrack.
Other deaths in Jammu district were reported from Sainik Colony, Sector 4 Trikuta Nagar, Shiv Nagar, Talab Tillo, Old Janipur, Satwari, Chak Malal Khour, Rehari Colony, RS Pura (two), Channi Rama, Ustaad Mohalla, Durga Nagar and Nanak Nagar.
Deaths in Rajouri district were reported from Jawahar Nagar, Budhal, Saroola Manjakote, Bela Colony, Badoon and Sunderbani. Three deaths in Kathua district took place at Kokhyal, Kathua town and Jakhwar while similar number of deaths in Samba district occurred at Kalu Chak Birpur, Ramgarh and Vijaypur.
A 75-year-old man from Jura Thathri died of Coronavirus in Doda while 76-year-old woman from Mendhar in Poonch district succumbed to pathogen. A 65-year-old man from Udhampur town also died of COVID-19.
District Magistrate Jammu Anshul Garg today allowed opening of some establishments/shops for two hours from 3 pm to 5 pm on Wednesday and Thursday for inspection of stocks and ordered that no commercial activity or transactions will be carried out during this time.
An order issued by the DM said the wholesale grocery shops will be allowed to open daily from Monday to Friday from 6 am to 10 am only for business-to-business operations and no retail activity will be allowed.
Thirty one COVID deaths have taken the region’s Corona toll to 1439, the highest being 818 in Jammu district followed by 126 in Rajouri, 95 Kathua, 94 Udhampur, 83 Samba, 74 Doda, 60 Poonch, 41 Ramban, 26 Kishtwar and 22 in Reasi district.
Among 1690 fresh cases, 625 were reported in Jammu, 237 in Rajouri, 192 Udhampur, 186 Kathua, 145 Samba, 106 Poonch, 77 Doda, 65 Ramban, 41 Kishtwar and 16 in Reasi district.
As many as 1185 persons today recovered from the virus including 578 in Jammu district, 213 Kathua, 158 Udhampur, 81 Rajouri, 66 Reasi, 53 Samba, 35 Doda and one in Poonch district.
Jammu region’s Corona cases have gone up to 94695 and active cases stood at 20434 as 72822 persons have recovered from the virus and there have been 1439 casualties.
Meanwhile, the Union Territory of Ladakh today reported two Corona casualties and 177 positive cases.
Besides the NHPC officers, a 32-year-old worker from Uttarakhand succumbed to the virus in Leh district taking Corona toll in the UT to 165—119 in Leh and 46 in Kargil.
Of 177 new cases, 174 were reported in Leh and three in Kargil.
Ladakh now has 16333 Corona cases. Among them, 1549 are active positives while 14619 have been treated.
Meanwhile, curfew imposed in Ladakh to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has been extended by another week till May 24, officials said today.
The extension of the curfew, which was scheduled to end on May 17, was ordered by the District Magistrates of Leh and Kargil in separate orders, they said.
In his order, Leh District Magistrate Shrikant Balasaheb Suse said the extension of restrictions that are already in place is meant to avoid the further spread of the infection.
“… restrictions imposed on all kind of movements/activities across Leh district shall be extended from 17.05.2021 (5 am); and shall remain in force till 24.05.2021 (7 am),” he said.
All shops selling groceries, vegetable and fruit, chicken, milk, dairy products, automobile spare parts, confectionery items and tyre repairs shops would be allowed to open from 7 am to 2 pm. The supply and distribution of essential commodities by wholesale distributors would be allowed between 5 am to 9 am and their movement would be allowed on the production of a valid trade license or registration certificate, the order stated.
All Government employees, staff of public sector undertakings, autonomous bodies, universities and other such offices would be allowed to commute to and from their workplace on the production of a valid identity card and duty roster issued by the concerned heads of departments.
The order stated that developmental activities and construction work would be allowed only when the labourers are present at the site and adequate facilities for their stay are available at the worksite.
Similarly, agricultural activities would be allowed with strict observance of COVID-19 related standard operating procedure (SOP), it said.
In a separate order, Kargil District Magistrate Santosh Sukhadeve said a detailed review of the current COVID situation was conducted by the District Disaster Management Authority. It was of the considered view that stringent containment measures are required at a macro level in order to restrict the movement and intermingling of people.
The restrictions would be extended till 7 am on May 24 and there would be no curbs on activities that are already allowed, he said.
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