Govt agrees to airlift some stranded Kargil people
*Rajouri among 24 Distts to report no +ve case in 14 days
Coronavirus cases reach 273 in J&K, active 253
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Apr 13: Monday turned out to be a good day for Jammu on Coronavirus front with no positive case reported while six COVID-19 patients including a doctor of the Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu were tested negative for second consecutive time and were declared as treated in the Chest Diseases Hospital reducing number of active cases in the region to 38 while the Government today assured the representative of Hill Council Kargil, who had threatened en masse resignations, that the district residents stranded in Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) will be airlifted in next few days followed by those held up at Rajasthan and other places.
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With no fresh case of COVID-19 reported from any part of the Jammu region today, the tally of Coronavirus patients stood at 48. However, six positive patients admitted in the Chest Diseases Hospital at Bakshi Nagar tested negative for second consecutive time today and were declared as treated. They were discharged from the hospital this evening after all necessary tests and completion of formalities as per the protocol.
They included four from Udhampur including a woman and one each from Jammu and Rajouri districts.
Chest Diseases Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Rajeshwar Sharma told the Excelsior that remaining tests of the negative patients were conducted and other formalities completed as per the protocol of Coronavirus before discharging all six patients.
Dr Sharma said now 29 COVID-19 patients were admitted in the Chest Diseases Hospital and condition of all of them is stable.
Among those treated included a doctor from Microbiology Department of the GMC Jammu, who was first doctor in Jammu to become COVID-19 positive. Later, her wife, father and servant had also tested positive and are still admitted in the Chest Diseases Hospital.
With three Coronavirus patients having already been treated successfully in the Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu, the number of total patients cured from the virus has gone up to nine in the region while there has been one death of a woman hailing from Tikri in Udhampur district.
Condition of a patient from Lower Roop Nagar, who was shifted in the GMC Jammu from ASCOMS Sidhra after being tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday, improved today and he was taken off the ventilator, GMC Medical Superintendent Dr Dara Singh said.
Meanwhile, the Union Health Ministry today said Rajouri district in Jammu region was among 24 districts in 15 States where no additional positive case has been reported for last 14 days while positive cases were reported there before. The Ministry described it as positive development at field level, showing results of the efforts of frontline workers.
Rajouri district has three COVID-19 patients.
Meanwhile, three residents of Kargil district in the Union Territory of Ladakh today reached Srinagar where they were flown from Mumbai by the Government and will be sent to Kargil shortly.
Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil CEC-cum-Chairman Feroz Khan told the Excelsior that they have taken up the issue with the Central Government and sought airlifting of 336 Kargil people stranded at Iran, 460 at Jodhpur and 63 in Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, 58 at Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh and some other places.
“We have been assured that 58 persons stranded at Ghaziabad will be airlifted to Kargil as they have completed 14-day quarantine period and have also tested negative for COVID-19,” Khan said, adding the people of Kargil have never witnessed 30 degrees temperature while it was already around 40 degrees in Jaisalmer and Jodhpur and, therefore, they want the Government to immediately lift them to Kargil.
Yesterday, representatives of LAHDC Kargil and Panchayat representatives had threatened en masse resignation if the people of Kargil stranded in various parts of the country and Iran were not evacuated immediately.
Meanwhile, the administration has finalized ‘Medical Strategy’ for Red Zone areas in consultations with Health Department specialists/officials and Government of India guidance which will be implemented in all districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
“The Red Zone will see 100 percent lockdown and completely sealed for any movement across its boundaries. This would require an intelligent demarcation of boundaries using roads, natural barriers. There would be 100 percent survey and screening of all persons in the Red Zone,” sources said.
They added that the only movement across the Red Zone boundaries would be for supplies like medical, grocery, vegetables, medical emergencies, fumigation/sanitation and enforcement/survey personnel.
2 more test +ve in Ladakh, total cases 17; active 5
Two more persons today tested positive for COVID-19 in the Union Territory of Ladakh taking total number of cases to 17 and active cases to five as 12 Coronavirus patients have recovered.
Official sources told the Excelsior that grandson of a Saudi Arab returned pilgrim at village Sabu in Leh district and an Iran returned pilgrim in Shakar Chiktan village of Kargil district were today tested positive for COVID-19 in Ladakh.
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Immediately after reports of the positive patients were received, they were shifted to COVID Hospitals in Leh and Kargil.
With this, total number of Coronavirus patients in Ladakh UT has gone up to 17.
However, 12 of them have been treated including one whose negative report was received today.
With today’s two fresh cases, there were now five active cases in Ladakh.
Meanwhile, two patients from Kargil who were admitted in District Hospital Kargil were today evacuated by air to Chandigarh for specialized treatment.
The patients along with two attendants were airlifted through a special AN-32 plane of the Indian Air Force (IAF) to PGI Chandigarh for further treatment as advised by the Consultant Surgeon, District Hospital Kargil.
The matter for casevac of these patients from Kargil to Chandigarh for specialized treatment was taken up by the UT Administration Ladakh with the Joint Secretary Air, Ministry of Defence, Government of India vide a communication from the office of the Divisional Commissioner Ladakh on 11th April, 2020.
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