621 lodged in quarantine centres at Lakhanpur
Shutdown complete, very few on roads
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Mar 24: The Government today declared Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu as “Dedicated COVID Hospital’ for Jammu province to be readied by Wednesday, but the health experts and some doctors flagged concerns about patients suffering from serious ailments like heart, kidney, trauma etc with shutting down of the GMC for such patients. The Government has also decided to hire retired doctors on contract for one year to fight Coronavirus.
By late this evening, authorities at Lakhanpur in Kathua district, the gateway to Jammu and Kashmir, had lodged 621 persons heading to their homes, in different parts of UT, at specially designated quarantine centres, mostly the marriage halls, lodges etc but the flow continued as there was no let up of the people trying to reach their home towns from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana. Chandigarh, New Delhi etc following curfews and lockdowns there.
“We have lodged 621 persons at marriage halls, lodges, hotels and other available accommodation in Lakhanpur and surroundings for 14-day mandatory quarantine till this evening, after their arrival at gateway to the Union Territory,” District Magistrate Kathua OP Bhagat told the Excelsior.
He said the seriously ill patients were being referred to the hospitals in ambulances and added that situation was well under control.
Nearly 100 vehicles were allowed to cross Lakhanpur by this evening and by midnight tonight some more will be allowed. The administration is sending the persons to quarantine facilities identified by the District Magistrate.
There have been clear guidelines by the UT Government that all those entering J&K from other States will have to undergo 14-day mandatory quarantine before being allowed to go homes. Reports said that some persons returned from Lakhanpur when asked to go to the quarantine centres.
Authorities were anticipating arrival of more inhabitants of J&K at Lakhanpur at least for couple of days due to closure of trains and flights and curfew/lockdown in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and New Delhi.
“All those returning to Jammu and Kashmir are employees of various companies which have been closed due to lockdown in the adjoining States. Very few among the entrants at Lakhanpur were those who had gone outside to meet their relatives or for other purposes,” the reports said.
DC Kathua OP Bhagat, SSP Kathua Shailendra Mishra and SHO Lakhanpur Bharat Sharma were constantly camping at Lakhanpur to monitor the situation.
Meanwhile, the Advisory Council of Jammu and Kashmir Government today declared Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu as `Dedicated COVID Hospital’ for Jammu province, which will be readied by Wednesday evening.
Government spokesman and Commissioner/Secretary Planning Development and Monitoring Department Rohit Kansal made an announcement to this effect.
Kansal also said that the Advisory Council in its emergency meeting decided that retired doctors will be hired against vacancies on contract for one year to fight against Coronavirus in underserved areas.
However, health experts and senior doctors immediately flagged concerns about the Government decision to declare the GMC Jammu as `Dedicated COVID Hospital’ saying although it was essential to have separate COVID hospital but the Government should also take concerns of serious patients especially those requiring emergency services of heart, kidneys, trauma, surgeries etc and make alternate arrangements for them.
“The emergency services for road accidents and other sudden ailments are available only in the GMC Jammu. The Government should ensure that these services are run in any other hospital,” they said, adding conversion of Psychiatric Hospital as `Dedicated COVID Hospital’ was the better option as it would have allowed all other necessary treatment of the patients to go on.
In view of the restrictions on the movement of traffic on the highways, the Government has directed the SRTC to run Jammu-Srinagar and inter district services as required. It was also decided that passes for vehicles of essential services personnel shall be issued as required.
Compared to yesterday, police said, there were very few people on the roads today and they had to make less efforts to control the situation.
“People have realized the situation and started following restrictions announced during shutdown in which people dealing eith essential services or going to purchase essential commodities only were allowed to come out of their houses,” police said.
SSP Jammu Sridhar Patil told the Excelsior that 99 percent people remained indoors today. “Only one percent people came out and majority of them were those dealing with essential services or to purchase grocery and vegetables. Overall, the situation was alright today and we had to register only six FIRs today,” Patil said.
In other districts of Jammu region, police sealed some shops and other business establishments, seized vehicles and arrested/detained some persons who were violating prohibitory orders imposed by the District Magistrates during shutdown period in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Sources said the shutdown was complete in entire Jammu region with few vehicles dealing with essential services seen on the National Highways and other major roads while people stayed indoors following shutdown announced by the UT Government to fight Coronavirus.
Authorities have asked the people to maintain social distancing while purchasing essential commodities from grocery, vegetable and other shops.
Civil and police administration was constantly monitoring the situation in entire Jammu region and taking decisions accordingly, sources said, adding the idea is to realize the people that shutdown is for their welfare and not for any other purposes.
Meanwhile, civil and police administrative have picked up two Associate Professors from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji University in Katra following reports that they had concealed their travel history.
They have been kept at the Railways Guest House Katra for quarantine since March 19.
Braving rains, policemen were out on streets to enforce a strict lockdown across Jammu region
Despite intermittent rains lashing the city and other parts of the region, the policemen with masked faces stood guard at various key intersections and stretches of deserted roads barricaded with barbed wire to discourage people from venturing out of their homes even as majority of people voluntarily stayed at houses and didn’t come out.
Only those providing essential supplies and services or having any emergency were allowed on roads by cops, besides the trucks carrying essential supplies after proper screening.
“The maintenance of essential services is important but at the same time, the movement also needs to be curtailed. Therefore, in view of this, it is hereby ordered that all such persons should remain stationed at their respective places of posting. Movement passes shall be valid only for movement from residence or place of stay to the work place and back.
“No intercity or inter-tehsil movement shall be allowed on daily basis even for people providing essential services,” an order issued by Poonch District Magistrate Rahul Yadav said, warning that strict action would be taken against anyone leaving their place of posting or station and found misusing these movement passes.
To ensure that people visiting groceries shops to buy essential commodities stay at a safe distance from each other to observe the social distancing norm, authorities have come up with the innovative idea of marking waiting spots for the customers in front of some shops.
They have also advised people to follow social distancing when they step out to buy essential commodities. Some shopkeepers dealing with essential commodities have also marked circles outside their business concerns.
Shutdown was also complete in the UT of Ladakh. Five FIRs were registered in Leh district against those violating prohibitory orders.
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