Restrictions to begin from 2 pm every Friday till 6 am Monday
61 kids at SOS Home, 18 more at Sectt, 3 in Raj Bhawan test +ve
Active positive cases cross 10,000, 716 recoveries
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Jan 20: A GREF official, two women and a youth were among five persons who died of COVID-19 in Jammu division today where cases inched close to 2000, a new record, while Jammu district remained at top with 1217 positives.
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The Union Territory of Ladakh too continued surge in Corona positive cases with 185 fresh cases.
Among five COVID casualties in Jammu, two were fully vaccinated, two partially vaccinated and one was unvaccinated.
Recoveries are also significantly good in the Jammu division. As against 1920 fresh cases, 716 recovered from the virus taking number of active positive cases to 10535.
The Union Territory administration today ordered that restrictions will start from 2 pm every Friday and last till 6 am on Monday. Last week, the UT administration had imposed weekend restrictions on Saturday and Sunday.
“There will be complete restrictions on non-essential movement in the entire UT of J&K from every Friday 2 pm to Monday 6 am henceforth,” an order issued by Chief Secretary Dr Arun Kumar Mehta said.
It added that pregnant women employees will be exempted from physical attendance and will be allowed to work from home.
Meanwhile, 61 students and an official of SOS Home Talab Tillo today tested positive for COVID-19. The students were in the age group of 4-15 years.
They were subjected to testing after some of them developed symptoms.
They have been isolated within the SOS Home premises.
Eighteen more officials of the Civil Secretariat have tested positive for pathogen. They belonged to different departments including Jal Shakti, Home, Power Development, GAD, Tourism, Planning, Finance, I&T, Agriculture and Assembly Secretariat.
Three more officials at the Raj Bhawan have been found infected.
Five more from IIT Jammu have also been tested positive for Coronavirus.
Five employees of Jammu and Kashmir Bank Udheywala branch, six at Sabzi Mandi Narwal, two more officials at Bahu Tehsil office and two at Janipura Girls School were tested positive for the virus.
Thirteen pilgrims of holy cave shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji were found infected during random testing on their arrival at Katra Railway Station.
SHO Katra in Reasi district has also tested positive for COVID-19.
Meanwhile, a 53-year-old GREF official deployed at 57 RCC Akhnoor and a resident of Uttarakhand died of COVID pneumonia in the Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu this morning. The official was fully vaccinated.
A 32-year-old youth hailing from village Dodasanwalla in Darhal tehsil of Rajouri district succumbed to ailments and COVID-19 at SKIMS Srinagar where he was under treatment. He was partially vaccinated.
A 58-year-old woman belonging to village Bhara Kund in Mendhar tehsil of Poonch district who was not vaccinated at all, died of virus in the GMC Jammu.
A 62-year-old woman, who was fully vaccinated and a resident of village Kardoh in Lakhanpur area of Kathua district, died of ailments and Coronavirus in the GMC Kathua.
An 80-year-old partially vaccinated man from Paloura Top in Jammu district, died of co-morbidities and virus in the GMC Jammu.
Among 1920 fresh COVID positive cases in Jammu division, 1217 were reported from Jammu district followed by 200 in Udhampur, 105 Kathua, 86 Samba, 72 Doda, 70 Rajouri, 58 Reasi, 47 Kishtwar, 42 Ramban and 23 in Poonch district.
Jammu region now has 1,40,434 Coronavirus cases. Among them, 1,27,662 have recovered from the virus while there were 10,535 active positive cases and 2237 casualties.
Out of 2237 COVID fatalities, maximum 1177 have been reported from Jammu district followed by 242 in Rajouri, 157 Kathua, 143 Udhampur, 138 Doda, 120 Samba, 104 Poonch, 68 Ramban and 44 each in Kishtwar and Reasi districts.
Meanwhile, the Union Territory of Ladakh today reported 185 fresh COVID positive cases including 158 in Leh district and 27 in Kargil.
This has taken number of active positive cases in Ladakh to 1020—848 in Leh and 172 in Kargil.
Corona count in Ladakh now stood at 23885. Among them, 22643 have recovered from the virus while there have been 222 fatalities—164 in Leh and 58 in Kargil.
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta chaired a meeting of the COVID Task Force today to review the rising COVID cases in Jammu and Kashmir and directed the strict implementation of CAB and set protocols to break the chain of transmission.
Administrative Secretaries of the departments of Finance, Health & Medical Education, Public Works Department, Disaster Management, MD, National Health Mission and Director General, Family Health Department were present in the meeting.
It was informed that like other parts of the country, Jammu and Kashmir is also witnessing a rise in COVID cases, which has necessitated strict observance of CAB, COVID SOPs, and protocols by the general public, especially in public places.
The meeting was apprised that although the Omicron variant is maintaining a high transmission, raising the weekly positivity rate from 0.5% to 5.4% over the previous fortnight; the oxygen bed occupancy and ICU bed occupancy are currently at a comfortable level of 7.7% and 14.0%, respectively. It was given out that the healthcare facilities have been ramped up and are in a state of readiness to cater to any eventualities.
In comparison to the second (Delta) wave, Jammu and Kashmir has doubled its testing capacity to over 80,000 daily tests which is also being reflected in the higher number of daily reported cases. It was informed that although number of reported daily cases has crossed the peak of the second wave, the comparative peak positivity rate and bed occupancy rate during the current wave continue to remain low at 7.0% and 6.2% viz-a-viz second wave’s 10.9% and 60.8% respectively. Jammu and Kashmir is also maintaining a lower positivity rate in comparison to the national average of about 17%.
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