Stay home, it is curfew not restrictions: IGP
All religious places closed, Tablighis under scanner
Fayaz Bukhari/
Govind Sharma
Srinagar/Jammu, Mar 26: The 65-year-old man who tested positive for Coronavirus early this week died at Chest Disease (CD) hospital Dalgate, Srinagar early today while two children and a man tested positive for COVID-19 taking the number of positive cases in Jammu and Kashmir to 14.
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The man, a resident of Hyderpora Srinagar and originally from Sopore who had returned from New Delhi, UP, and Jammu recently after being part of a Tablighi Jamaat attended by people from Indonesia and Malaysia.
Doctors at Chest Disease Hospital Srinagar said that he had medical history of prolonged illness- diabetes, hypertension and obesity. He passed away due to cardiac arrest early today.
The deceased was taken to Sopore, his native town where only 20 people were allowed to attend his last rites. He was buried in 8 feet deep grave as per the protocol issued by the government.
In the meantime, two siblings – 7 years and 8 months-old were tested positive for Coronavirus in Srinagar The two siblings are grandchildren of a man from Natipora who had arrived from Saudi Arabia recently and tested positive early this week.
The duo is presently admitted in the hospital at Rainawari and their samples were taken yesterday. The test reports were received today and they came out to be positive. Three more children from the family are admitted in JLNM hospital Rainawari.
The man from Natipora had returned from Saudi Arabia on March 16 after performing Umrah and had shared the same flight as that of the Kashmir’s first COVID-19 patient, a 67-year-old woman from Srinagar’s Khanyar area.
Meanwhile, a 64 year-old retired doctor from Manjakote area of Rajouri district and having history of close contact with COVID-19 positive person who died today in Srinagar, was found positive, taking the total number of positive cases till date in Jammu to 4.
According to the sources, he had returned from Indonesia few days back after attending religious gathering and on his return to India, he also went to Samba where he met with the Muslim priest who died today of Coronavirus in Srinagar. In Jammu, he also met with several people including a retired Judge who is now associated with a political party.
As first case was today reported from Rajouri, district administration has completely lock down the area to which he belong and started efforts to trace out all direct and indirect contacts of the positive persons so that they are quarantined and the dreaded virus checked from spreading its tentacles further in the district.
Sources further informed that 11 samples were tested today for Coronavirus in GMC Jammu out of which one was tested as positive, 9 negative while one report was not clear and it will be again tested tomorrow.
They further informed that in Jammu district, around 300 asymptomatic people with travel history of foreign countries or other states of own country have been isolated at several quarantine centres set up in city and its outskirts.
“145 people have been quarantined at 300-bedded Yatri Bhawan (Bhagwati Nagar), 30 at Pahari Hostel (Bantalab) which has a capacity of 50, 29 at 30-bedded NHPC Guest House (Railway Road) and 23 at Teacher’s Bhawan (Gandhi Nagar) which has a capacity of 40 persons,” they added.
Sources further said that 20 people most of them MBBS students returned from Bangladesh have been quarantined at Hotel Garden, 7 at Hotel Red Rose, 9 at Horticulture Guest House, 12 at SQUAST Guest House (Narwal), 19 at Transit Camp and 7 people are quarantined at IIT Hostel (Paloura).
Meanwhile, no positive case was reported from the UT of Ladakh. According to a spokesman of Ladakh Government, reports of 17 samples (6 belonging to Leh district and 11 to Kargil) were received today and all were negative. Presently 180 people have been quarantined in health facility/hotel including 16 symptomatic people, he added.
He further disclosed that a COVID-19 positive medical employee was discharged today from SNM Hospital, Leh, after he reportedly turned negative for the dreaded virus. “With his recovery, active positive cases in Ladakh have come down to 10,” he added.
Thirty two persons are admitted in JLNM Hospital Rainwari, declared recently among three hospitals exclusively for COVID-19 management. Most of them are either relatives or neighbours of the man from Natipora Srinagar.
A CRPF man who came in the same flight as the first COVID-19 patient in Kashmir has been admitted to CD hospital Srinagar. Sources said that he is symptomatic.
Over 60 people from Bandipora, the contact of the COVID-19 patient who died in Srinagar this morning and those four who tested positive were quarantined at two different places in North Kashmir’s Bandipora district.
Forty five family members of four COVID-19 patients who were tested positive yesterday were quarantined at one place of the district while 17 other people were kept in isolation at another place. Three persons who were symptomatic were shifted to SKIMS Srinagar.
The authorities identified 65 people including the family members of these positive cases and quarantined them. Several medical teams conducted door-to-door inquiry about the locals in and around the Hajin area, which is the native town of 4 COVID-19 patients tested positive for Coronavirus yesterday.
The teams visited over 100 households and collected details about the inmates. The teams identified over 100 people who have come into contact with the COVID-19 positive persons. All of them were screened and quarantined.
And administration in Pulwama district declared the Mosques where the Tableegi Jamat people visit as quarantine centres. The suspected contacts will be quarantined in these mosques.
In the meantime, restrictions across Kashmir continued for the 7th consecutive day today after the positive case of deadly coronavirus was detected in the Valley last week.
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.
In villages, police and Army were enforcing curfew. Police last night charged batons and fired tear smoke to disperse group of people who had gathered to offer special prayers at Charar-e-Sharief.
The Government had closed all the religious places today and no Friday prayers will be allowed tomorrow in any of the mosques in Kashmir. The famous shrines, gurdwaras, temples and churches have been closed to prevent any gatherings.
Kashmir’s Grand Mufti Nasirul Islam today said that Kashmir is heading towards a disaster and there should be no Friday prayers in any Masjid tomorrow.
“My humble appeal to people including Imams and Khateebs and managing bodies of all masjids and shrines across Kashmir is not to hold/organize Friday congregational prayers. It is for our safety and Islam allows it”, he said.
Police today booked and arrested several people for violating prohibitory orders in Kashmir and authorities appealed people to stay indoors.
Police today arrested 14 persons for offering Zuhar prayers in a Masjid at Awantipora in district Pulwama.
Police said that despite clear orders of District Magistrate Pulwama as well as various announcements made by Awantipora Police for offering prayers at home only these people offered prayers at the mosque.
An official said that the patrolling police found 14 persons have assembled at Gade Mohalla Masjid in Awantipora for prayers. “No sooner they came out of Masjid they were arrested and taken to Police Station for legal action,” the official said.
A case (FIR number 38/2020 under Section 188,270 IPC) was registered at Police Station Awantipora.
Police today arrested 14 persons for violation of prohibitry orders on Coronavirus in Handwara area of Kupwara district and seized two vehicles
Police Station Handwara arrested 6 persons and seized one vehicle for violating the orders. Police Station Qalamabad, booked 7 persons for violating the orders and Police Station Vilgam, arrested one person and seized one vehicle. Cases under relevant sections of law have been registered in the against them in their respective Police Stations and investigations have been taken up.
Police today arrested and registered a case against a contractor for engaging 35 home quarantined labourers at a construction site.
A Police official said that upon the information received from the Magistrate, Pampore police arrested a contractor Muneer Ahmad Mir of Drangbal Pampore who had accommodated 35 labourers in his house for engaging them at construction site.
The contractor was directed by the District administration to keep the labourers under home quarantine and not to engage them for any work outside in the area. However, he defied the orders and engaged them in construction work at Drangabal Pampore thereby endangering life of others.
These labourers had recently come to Pampore area from outside Jammu and Kashmir and were advised for home quarantine.
A case (FIR no 21/2020 u/s 188,269,270 lPC) was registered against the contractor in Police Station Pampore.
Inspector General of Police Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, today clarified that there are no restrictions but curfew in Kashmir to prevent spread of Coronavirus and asked people to stay indoors.
He appealed people to cooperate with Police so that the infection does not spread. He asked field staff of essential services to get passes issued from concerned Deputy Commissioners. “I appeal operational staff of essential services to get passes issued from the office of concerned DCs as only departmental identity cards won’t be accepted at Police and para-military check points. They should stay nearest to the place of work and curtail inter-district movement”, he said.
Kumar was responding to allegations that police is disallowing the LPG distribution in Kashmir. One of the dealers said that their LPG trucks were not allowed at the check points despite Government declaring the LPG as essential commodity.
The milk supply dealers were also unable to move outside for facilitating its distribution. They said that they were not allowed to distribute milk which is an essential commodity.
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