Curbs extended in Leh, 156 new cases reported
Pr. Secy, 12 officials in 5 offices test Corona +ve
Virus penetrates into Distt Jail, 6 staff members infected
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 9: There has been no let-up in COVID-19 casualties and fresh cases with 54 more persons succumbing to virus and 5190 testing positive in the Union Territory. Jammu region reported 32 deaths and 1770 cases.
Among the COVID deaths in Jammu were wife of former Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), five persons aged between 25-32 years, another official of Education Department, a teacher of Convent School, an employee of Col Chopra Nursing Home of the GMC Jammu and a businessman.
Thirteen women were among the dead. Jammu district continued to account for maximum fatalities reporting 19 deaths today followed by Rajouri with seven, Kathua and Poonch two each and Kishtwar and Udhampur one each. Two persons died of the virus at home.
Noor Jahan, 67-year-old wife of former Additional DGP Masud Choudhary and a resident of Gandhi Nagar succumbed to Coronavirus in Narayana Hospital Katra. Choudhary is himself positive for the virus.
Another official of Education Department posted at Directorate of Education office in Muthi died of Coronavirus today. He hailed from Durga Nagar in Jammu and was aged 53. A day before another official posted in the same office had succumbed to the virus.
Senior Dance teacher of Convent School Gandhi Nagar Neelu Varinder of Nanak Nagar died of post-COVID complications in the Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu last night. Her husband Harvinder Singh is admitted in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the GMC due to COVID. Doctors said Neelu Varinder had tested negative only a day before of her death.
Five persons aged between 25-32 years also died today due to COVID-19. They include 30-year-old youth from Marh, 25-year-old girl from Janipura, 32-year-old woman from Gole Gujral, 28-year-old from Rehari, all in Jammu and 30-year-old youth from Kallar, Rajouri.
A 64-year-old businessman from Dhanore in Rajouri passed away today due to Coronavirus at EMC Hospital Amritsar.
A 48-year-old employee of Col Chopra Nursing Home of the GMC Jammu died due to pathogen at the GMC Jammu. He belonged to Lakhanpur in Kathua district.
Other COVID-19 deaths in Jammu district were reported from Trikuta Nagar (two), Roop Nagar, New Plot, Tanda Akhnoor, Sainik Colony, Sidhra, Ambica Colony Kunjwani, Chinore, Jogi Gate, Shakti Nagar, Kali Jani, Bhawani Nagar and Durga Nagar.
Deaths in Rajouri district were reported from Ward No. 13, Kallar, Jaglanoo, Dhanore, Swari, Channi and Dhandkote while a 55-year-old woman from Sultanpur Kathua died in the MC Jammu.
A 55-year-old woman from Kishtwar died of co-morbidities and virus in the GMC Jammu while 88-year-old man from Housing Colony Udhampur breathed his last in the District Hospital Udhampur.
An 80-year-old woman from Sanglani Surankote succumbed to COVID-19 at Community Health Centre (CHC) Surankote while 65-year-old man from Gandi Kassi Poonch died of the virus at District Hospital Poonch.
A senior officer in the rank of Principal Secretary in Jammu and Kashmir today tested positive for COVID-19.
Four officials at Forest Complex Dogra Hall, four at Sainik Board, two at JKTDC TRC Residency Road and one each at Director Hospitality & Protocol Canal Road and Deputy Director Estates Gandhi Nagar were found infected during testing. Five from 339 MED Regiment have also tested positive for the virus.
Coronavirus has also penetrated into District Jail Ambphalla with six staffers testing positive today. After positive cases, Jail Superintendent Mirza Salim has approached teams of Health Department for RTPCR testing of entire staff and jail inmates.
Thirty two more deaths have taken Corona toll in the Jammu region to 1171, the maximum 655 being in Jammu district, 97 Rajouri, 75 each Udhampur and Kathua, 71 Doda, 68 Samba, 49 Poonch, 35 Ramban, 26 Kishtwar and 20 in Reasi district.
Among 1770 COVID positive cases in Jammu region, three districts recorded 200 plus and three others 100 plus cases today even as number of cases continued to surge in semi-urban and rural areas almost across the region, which remained a cause of concern.
“The virus is spreading at an alarming pace in the rural areas,” the doctors and officials engaged in the testing told the Excelsior.
Among 211 positive cases in Rajouri, 61 were reported from Sunderbani, Nowshera 50, Rajouri 39, Kalakote 35, Darhal 15 and Kandi 11, Additional Deputy Commissioner Rajouri Thakur Sher Singh tweeted.
In Poonch, 19 positive cases were reported from Mendhar, 16 Surankote and 11 each Haveli and Mandi.
In Lakhanpur, the entrance to Jammu and Kashmir in Kathua district, 108 positive cases were reported including 23 from Punjab, 11 Uttar Pradesh, nine Bihar, six Himachal Pradesh, five Rajasthan, two each Uttarakhand and New Delhi and one from Haryana besides 49 of J&K.
Jammu district reported 658 cases, Kathua 252 and Rajouri 211 while Udhampur accounted for 179, Samba 138 and Reasi 126. Fresh cases in other districts include Poonch 74, Ramban 70, Kishtwar 32 and Doda 30.
On the other, 624 persons recovered from the virus today, the maximum being 318 in Jammu district, 106 Kathua, 96 Udhampur, 42 Reasi, 30 Kishtwar, 15 Poonch, 12 Rajouri, three Doda and two in Ramban district.
Jammu region now has 83022 Corona cases including 17262 active positives and 64599 recoveries. There have been 1171 casualties.
District Magistrate Jammu Anshul Garg today ordered that wholesale grocery shops will open for three days a week i.e. Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 6 am to 10 am.
In the Union Territory of Ladakh, one person died of COVID-19 while 156 more tested positive for the virus including 140 in Leh and 16 in Kargil taking the UT’s Corona count to 15179. Among them, 1412 are active positives while 13614 have recovered from the virus.
There have been 153 Corona casualties in Ladakh—109 in Leh and 44 in Kargil.
Meanwhile, District Magistrate Leh Shrikant Balasaheb Suse today ordered extension of Corona restrictions in Leh, which are due to expire in May 10, till May 17 morning.
However, he ordered that grocery, vegetable, meat/chicken, milk/dairy product and bakery shops will remain open daily from 8 am to 1 pm during the restrictions.
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