Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR/JAMMU, Feb 20: In view of rising cases of COVID-19 in some States of the country, the administration in Kashmir has ordered that no inbound traveller will be allowed to leave the airport until their COVID-19 test report is received.
The In-charge Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary issued these directions for putting in place required measures to avert spread in Kashmir.
He directed for strengthening the preventive mechanism at the Srinagar airport instructing the Srinagar and Budgam district administrations to set up additional Coronavirus testing facilities there and to enable quick receipt of test reports.
Choudhary instructed that no inbound traveller be allowed to leave the airport until their COVID-19 test report is received directing that test reports be issued on the spot before letting the travellers go.
The instructions also come in the wake of a recent trend within Kashmir which shows a greater number of infections in travellers compared to local cases of COVID-19 infections.
Director Health Services Kashmir Dr Samir Mattoo said that the transmission rate of COVID in Kashmir is quite low. He observed that stricter measures at the airport are important to avert rise in infections within the division.
Meanwhile it’s been decided that those travellers whose reports come positive would be isolated in order to prevent transmission and spread of the infection amongst the local population.
The meeting was informed that those with 48-hour-old RT-PCR negative reports from their departing cities will not have to undergo testing at the Srinagar airport.
It was informed that a rise in positive cases as reported in some states outside J&K along with the recent trend finding more infections in inbound travellers has necessitated taking these preventive measures as directed.
And 50 fresh cases of COVID-19 were reported from Kashmir today.
Those who tested positive include 24 Srinagar, 6 Baramulla, 1 Budgam, 7 Pulwama, 6 Anantnag, 2 Ganderbal, 2 Kulgam and 2 from Shopian.
The number of positive cases in Kashmir division have reached 73,941 including 72,159 recoveries and 1,229 deaths.
The officials said that the total number of active cases in Jammu and Kashmir are 700 including 553 from Kashmir division.
With 70 more recoveries, the tally of total recoveries in Jammu and Kashmir has reached 123,129, which is 97.90 percent of the total cases.
Meanwhile, 18 persons tested positive in Jammu region including 10 in Jammu district, five Udhampur, two Rajouri and one in Samba district.
At the same time, 23 persons recovered from the virus, 12 in Jammu district, nine Udhampur and two in Rajouri.
Jammu region now has 51842 Corona cases. Among them, 147 are active positive while 50970 have recovered from the virus and there have been 725 casualties.
Among the casualties, 373 have been reported from Jammu district, 64 Doda, 57 Udhampur, 55 Rajouri, 53 Kathua, 40 Samba, 24 Poonch, 22 Kishtwar, 21 Ramban and 16 in Reasi district.
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