Srinagar: Despite ban on foreign tourists from entering Kashmir, the Government Wednesday allowed the entry of at least four foreign tourists including a couple from Italy into Kashmir Valley.
The entry of foreign tourists has been banned in Jammu and Kashmir as a precautionary measure to slow the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
The order to ban the entry of foreign tourists was recently issued by Baseer Khan, the Adviser to the Lieutenant Governor, Girish Chanra Marmu.
Highly placed sources told Kashmir News Trust that four tourists landed at Srinagar Airport on Wednesday. Among those who arrived in Srinagar were a couple from Italy, a citizen from United States and one from Russia. Ironically, the authorities didn’t deport these tourists and allowed them to enter into Kashmir Valley.
Sources added that all the four tourists hired a cab outside Srinagar Airport and are staying somewhere in a house boat (name withheld) near Nehru Park.
COVID-19 has been declared an epidemic in Jammu and Kashmir, and surveillance personnel have been authorized to enter any premises to look for suspects infected with the Coronovirus.
District Development Commissioner Srinagar Dr Shahid Iqbal Chowdary said that all these tourists will be sent back from tomorrow. “There is nothing to worry. The advisory we issued last night but these tourists were already present in India and they have toured to Rajsthan and other areas. We have done proper screening but they will be sent back tomorrow,” District Development Commissioner told KNT.
‘Authorities asked to educate people on hygiene standards’
Srinagar, Mar 18: Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan Wednesday said that Regular hand washing with soap is vital to fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) disease. He said that it has been agreed by all, that personal hygiene is most reliable way to prevent the deadly Coronavirus. In a brief chat with Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS) the health minister said, “People must use hand wash or soap to clean hands. They should clean hands multiple times a day if they are outside, at work or are involved in physical activity,” he said. He said that directions have been issued to all the states including the authorities in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir to educate people on hygiene standards. The minister who is also a physician by profession said that it is advisable to all those who have low immunity, coughing and sneezing problems should cover their mouth with a mask and keep a distance with other people so that their mouth droplets do not infect other people. “People should not panic. Simple hand hygiene by cleaning hands multiple times can work to curtail the spread of the disease.” the minister said. It is to mention here that Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan also took to micro-blogging platform Twitter to encourage people to wash their hands as frequently as they possibly can throughout the day. He wrote “I request all citizens to take the safe hands challenge. Washing hands thoroughly with soap and water kills# Coronavirus” Meanwhile the doctors across the India are of the opinion that that sanitizers and handwashes have similar properties to kill the germs. “The difference is only that hand sanitizers contain alcohol and do not require water while soaps and handwash have ingredients like hard chemicals that kill germs and require water,” one of the doctors told KINS.(KINS)
SRINAGAR, March 18: Around two years after being sacked for a controversial remark, former Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu prefers to remain silent over the Kashmir politics. Drabu was sacked in 2018 over a controversial comment that Kashmir is “not a political issue”. Around two years down the line, Drabu said he wanted to remain silent over the Kashmir politics. “I have left Kashmir in July. I don’t want to talk on Kashmir politics. I prefer to remain silent,” Drabu told Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS) over phone from Mumbai,when asked about the developments that took place post August 5 in Jammu and Kashmir. Drabu, an economist, is known to have been pivotal in the crafting of a common agenda for the PDP-BJP alliance in the erstwhile state. Drabu was sacked from the then Mehbooba Mufti-led cabinet when he said, “Those who see Jammu and Kashmir as a conflict state, as a political issue …it’s a society which has social issues right now…It’s not a political issue as far as I can see, I think we are barking at the wrong tree for the last 57 years by talking about the politics of it, that the political situation has never improved. We seriously need to look at in terms of how it is a society that is in search for itself.” Subsequently, he left the PDP. Months later BJP also withdrew support from the Mehbooba Mufti-led government.(KINS)
“The picture that is being presented of this place (Jammu and Kashmir) is different from ground reality…
National Conference MP Hasnain Masoodi on Wednesday said the picture that was being presented of Jammu and Kashmir was quite different from the ground reality and made a plea to the government that the situation in the union territory should be examined afresh.
“The picture that is being presented of this place (Jammu and Kashmir) is different from ground reality…I request that that situation there should be examined afresh,” he said during a discussion on the budget for Jammu and Kashmir in Lok Sabha.
Stating that tourism sector in Jammu and Kashmir was suffering the most due to the internet blockade, he said that there was no arrangement for rehabilitation.
“They (BJP) say that the employment of around 70 per cent of the people in Jammu and Kashmir was dependent on agriculture. What is the kind of treatment which is being given to agriculture,” the MP questioned.
The handicraft industry, he said, was also affected. There should be dialogue with the stakeholders, he said.
Masoodi was of the view that the discussion of the budget for Jammu and Kashmir “should have been discussed in the state assembly”.
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Air Vistara Spokesperson: We are temporarily suspending our international operations from March 20 to March 31. We have also temporarily adjusted domestic capacity for March & April in view of reduced demand. Customers booked on the affected flights will be fully refunded. ANI
DUBAI: As the fear of coronavirus spreads faster than the disease, raising more questions than answers globally, astrologers with their star perspectives are in the spotlight, with even the most die-hard sceptics giving them a listen-in.
Nothing can perhaps illustrate this better than one of the umpteen comments on a YouTube video on coronavirus by Indian astrologer Ashish Mehta that has gone viral.
“I always take astrology with a pinch of salt but this time, I really, really want it to be true,” says one sceptic after listening to the video.
The reason? As Mehta, who is highly sought after for his predictions, explains in the video, things will begin to look up from March 24, thanks to planetary movements, the result of which will begin to be felt by March 30. The advent of summer on April 13, he said, will only help matters, with a cure for coronavirus being approved and the world slowly, but surely, coming back to normalcy thereafter.
“A lot of people ask about the coronavirus these days. Out of curiosity or out of fear, everyone’s question remains, now what next?” says Mehta. “Any virus is born from the conjunctions of Rahu or Ketu (the invisible planets that denote the points of intersection of the paths of the sun and moon). Due to the combination of Guru (Jupiter) and Ketu, it intensifies.”
Mehta points to the planetary positions for the spread of coronavirus from China to the rest of the world. “But fortunately, on March 30, Guru is leaving Ketu’s alliance and entering Capricorn. That means after March 30, we will all be free from the effects of the coronavirus. This will start from 2.58pm on March 24 itself.”
Psyched out
The explanation is music to the ears as it spells early hopes for hundreds and thousands of residents, who like the rest of the world, have been psyched out by the novel coronavirus and its meteoric rise across the planet over the last few weeks.
“March 30? That’s not too bad, we all just need to hang in there,” says Leela Raman, a Dubai-based housewife.
“Let’s hope he is right,” says Ian Hammonds, a software engineer, also based in Dubai.
Transitions behind the upheaval According to some astrologers in the UAE, however, the wait for full relief may get a bit longer.
Dubai-based Acharya Sandeep Bhargava, astrologer and life coach, is looking at May 11 for the world to be at peace again.
Acharya Sandeep Bhargava
He attributes what is happening around us to the transitions of Saturn (on September 18 last year and January 24 this year) and Jupiter on November 5.
“These transitions collectively explain the upheaval around us. Also Mars was placed in its own house Scorpio which governs physical and mental health. All these together spell calamities, whether natural or man-made,” he says.
Another astrologer and Hindu priest in Dubai, Upendra Shastri, said, “Ketu is the main factor behind the creation of coronavirus. The astrological impact of the virus outbreak is said to have actually begun on November 5, 2019, when the planet Jupiter entered the house of Sagittarius.
Upendra Shastri
He said the combination of Ketu, Jupiter and Sagittarius has triggered the virus outbreak. “From December 14, 2019 to January 15, 2020, Jupiter remained in abeyance due to which the virus did not spread so much. But it is when Jupiter began to rise after January 15, the world began to see the impact of the virus.”
Cure for the virus
Shastri says Jupiter will be in Capricorn from March 30 until June 30. “When this happens, Jupiter becomes weak and the coronavirus is likely to become weak and we will see a cure for the virus during this period. Also the negative impact of the virus will be lowered during this period. Things are going to take a positive turn from May onwards.”
Fellow Hindu priest and astrologer Acharya Umesh, also based in Dubai, agrees that May is the time when there will be relief from coronavirus.
Acharya Umesh
“Rahu is passing through its own constellation. Rahu’s variance in the constellation is spreading poison all over the world. The spread of any type of virus is due to this. Rahu will depart from here on May 20. After this, the global situation will come under control.”
Staying positive
A fifth astrologer Raju Pandit says, “The important thing is to stay positive during a time like this. Things can only get better after something as trying as this.”
He says salutations to the sun are important as the new year with the summer months begins in mid-April.
“Let us pray and stay positive, the worst will soon be behind us,” he adds.
(Except headlines, this story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
With the world’s biggest live event set to open in Dubai in October, organisers released a statement about the coronavirus threat.
The World Expo 2020 is due to run in Dubai from October to April, but the coronavirus threat looms on the horizon as events all around the world are cancelling or postponing.
As the UAE’s total expenditure on the event approaches around US $9 billion, according to figures released by the Expo 2020 Dubai Bureau, organisers have made a statement on the potential impact that coronavirus might have.
“Alongside the government of the UAE, we are working hard to adapt to unfolding events surrounding the spread of COVID-19,” said an Expo 2020 Dubai spokesperson.
“The health and wellbeing of everyone living in and visiting the UAE is our top priority and will not be compromised. Like many governments around the world, the UAE authorities have taken robust preventative measures to contain the rapid spread of the virus.
“In common with other organisations, Expo 2020 Dubai is closely monitoring ongoing developments and taking sensible precautions to manage and mitigate the risk to all those involved in the Expo.
“As we continue to prepare for this event, we will be adjusting planned preparations, as changing circumstances require. We will be diligently following the latest guidance from the Dubai Health Authority, Ministry of Health and Prevention, World Health Organisation and other relevant bodies.
“Expo 2020 is not due to open until late October and we continue on track. We are working very closely with UAE authorities and the International Bureau of Expositions in Paris as the situation around the world evolves.
“We will remain attentive and alert in the coming days and weeks and are confident that the collective strength and resilience of our Expo community will enable us to navigate through these most difficult of times.”
Expo 2020 is planned to be 173 days of global music, tech, culture and creativity, with 60 live events every day and 150,000 average daily visitors.
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Srinagar, Mar 18: At least five suspects having travel history with high fever and flu have been identified and admitted in hospital in Kashmir Valley. However, duo from Central Kashmir’s Budgam district is evading the screening after returning home from Saudi Arabia two weeks ago.
Official sources told Kashmir News Trust that two persons (name withheld) who hail from Khanpora Budgam returned from Saudi Arabia two weeks ago. They added that both are feeling unwell and have symptoms of fever.
Administration informed Block Medical Officer about the duo and directed him to locate them and get them screened. Sources, however, added that duo have gone into hiding and are not ready to visit the hospital.
Similarly, a youth from Ganderbal after showing symptoms of fever and throat infection has been admitted in the isolation ward at SKIMS Srinagar. The youth (name withheld) from Kurhama Ganderbal who had arrived in Kashmir on March 15 from Maharashtra developed symptoms of fever and throat infection.
The family approached District Hospital Ganderbal where he was examined and referred to SKIMS Soura for further evaluation, said sources.
His brother confirmed that he is undergoing treatment at SKIMS where he is quarantined.
“Authorities in Kashmir are not taking chances as for as Coronavirus infection is concerned. Every suspect having travel history is being monitored and isolated,” said an official.
Similarly, from past 3 days a woman is under observation at NTPHC Panzgam area of North Kashmir’s Kupwara district. The woman had returned from Punjab recently.
The woman hails from Kachhama, Thregam.
” She is running with fever and heavy flu. She is under observation in an Isolation ward,” the official said.
Official sources said that a person (name withheld) from Rakh Liter Pulwama, with recent travel history to Saudi Arabia has been admitted in SKIMS Srinagar. The person is suffering from severe flu and fever.
An official from district Pulwama said that so for 11 persons have been tested for Coronaviurs and all of them have tested negative. (KNT)
Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema Jammu & Kashmir, a conglomerate of religious bodies of J&K, headed by incarcerated Mirwaiz Umar Farooq expressing deep concern over the spread of coronavirus has issued a joint statement in wake of the outbreak that has killed over 7500 people and infected nearly two hundred thousand across the world,
MMU prayed to Almighty Allah to keep humanity safe from the deadly outbreak, and its spread.
In a statement MMU prayed not only for the Muslim World but the whole humanity which is combating the viral disease.
“We pray for an atmosphere of peace and health across the world,” the MMU said.
In view of the religious events in J&K, the Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema has called upon the Ulema, Khateebs and management of masajids to strictly follow the following guidelines and educate people about them.
Refrain from organising events which require large gathering
Deliver brief Arabic sermon during Friday congregations and seek Almighty’s refuge from the coronavirus outbreak
People must offer Sunnah and Nawafil prayers at home, and leave the masjid shortly after Fardh (obligatory) prayers. They must continue with Tilaawat (reading of Qur’an) and Dhikr-o-Adhkaar (remembrance of Allah) at home
Every individual must turn to Allah (SWT) and keep seeking forgiveness of sins
The elderly the sick people are requested to stay home and pray there instead of coming to Masjid’s
While greeting other people handshake and hugs should be avoided.
Wash hands before entering and leaving the masajids
Limit felicitation and condolence meetings by shortening the duration period
Follow the advice of health experts in letter and spirit
The traders, shopkeepers and medical store owners must refrain from hoarding soaps and sanitisers
affluent people are requested to donate sanitisers to masajids, khanqaahs, shrines and imambaras
The concerned departments (municipal corporations) must ensure that all the religious sites and the places where religious congregations are held; are sanitised on regular basis.
Many Asian nations are facing an increasing battle to stem the spread of coronavirus, amid a World Health Organization warning that some needed to take “aggressive measures”.
Malaysia, Sri Lanka and the Philippines are among nations imposing strict border controls.
Cases in the South Asian subcontinent are still below 500 but there are fears a spike could overwhelm health systems.
There are 185,000 cases globally, with 7,500 confirmed deaths.
Some nations and territories that had seen success in controlling the virus or slowing its arrival, including South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan, have seen new spikes, amid fears people returning from abroad are importing the virus.
Asian stocks have continued to fall as worries about the coronavirus pandemic eclipsed hopes that major stimulus plans would ease the impact of the outbreak.
What was the WHO warning? It was issued for the organisation’s South East Asia region, although this contains 11 nations spread widely, including Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bangladesh and North Korea.
Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director of the WHO South East Asia region, said on Tuesday that “more clusters of virus transmission are being confirmed”.
Thai officials monitor arrivals at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok
“We need to immediately scale up all efforts to prevent the virus from infecting more people,” Dr Khetrapal Singh said. “We clearly need to do more, and urgently.”
The WHO said the numbers in its South East Asia region showed that “some countries are clearly heading towards community transmission of Covid-19”.
It called for continued efforts to “detect, test, treat, isolate and trace contacts”.
Dr Khetrapal Singh said “practising social distancing [could] not be emphasised enough… this alone has the potential to substantially reduce transmission”.
“We need to act now,” she said.
Many regional countries inside and outside the WHO’s definition of South East Asia have had a slow response to the outbreak, only taking drastic measures in recent weeks or days as the number of cases continue to grow.
Where are the infections increasing? Almost all nations are seeing increases, although the rates vary widely.
China still has the highest number of confirmed cases, with more than 80,000, but its new infections are almost exclusively from people arriving from abroad and are very low.
South Korea has also been praised for its attempts to control the virus and its 8,413 cases have seen it fall below Germany to sixth in the running list of cases compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
South Korea has seen a cluster of new cases
It has been ahead of other nations by testing thousands of people and had seen a downward trend in new infections.
But there are now small clusters breaking out across the country, with 93 more cases in the past 24 hours. Dozens of sick and elderly patients in a hospital in Daegu were infected.
Taiwan announced its largest single-day increase in new cases – 23 – bringing the total to 100.
The trend was mirrored in Hong Kong – 14 cases in a single day is the highest in the territory, all but one brought in from abroad.
Indonesia on Wednesday also announced its biggest daily rise, 55 more cases taking the total to 227, with 19 deaths.
Pakistan’s cases have now risen to 245, with the total of reported cases for the South Asian subcontinent reaching 482.
Hong Kong is one region fearing a spike in cases imported from abroad
Thailand reported 35 new cases on Wednesday, taking its total infections to 212, officials said. Four of the cases were linked to an entertainment venue and 13 to a boxing bout, both in Bangkok.
Malaysia has warned of a fresh spike in cases, saying there is only a “slim chance” of breaking the chain of infections.
A mass Muslim gathering last month is linked to nearly two-thirds of its infections and thousands of attendees are yet to be tested.
Myanmar and Laos have both not reported any cases – though experts have seriously doubted the credibility of this.
A spokesperson for Myanmar’s government claimed that people’s “lifestyle and diet” had protected them from the virus. But it has imposed restrictions on arrivals and the UK government is now advising against all but essential travel there.
There are also no reported cases of the virus in Timor-Leste.
What are the nations doing?
From Wednesday, Malaysia is preventing citizens from travelling overseas and visitors from entering until 31 March at least.
Many Malaysians who commute to work in Singapore had to queue to cross the border before the midnight deadline, and will have to stay there.
Streets in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur were largely empty and supermarket chains are enforcing limits on purchases of staples.
Thailand has closed schools, bars, cinemas and other entertainment centres.
The Philippines, which has 202 cases and 17 deaths, has imposed some of the toughest movement controls, effectively quarantining about half of its 107 million population.
But it reversed a decision to ban all international flights, and foreign nationals may now fly out, although arrivals will face strict quarantine protocols.
Taiwan will on Thursday ban foreigners from entering, apart from in some exceptional cases. Everyone arriving, including Taiwanese, will have to go into quarantine for 14 days.
Japanese media report that visas issued to European travellers will be invalidated and people arriving from 38 nations will have to self-quarantine.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan urged calm in a TV address, saying: “There is no need to worry. We will fight this as a nation. And God-willing, we will win this war.”
From the weekend, all air passengers arriving in Pakistan from abroad will need to show a certificate declaring them free of coronavirus.
Sri Lanka is banning all incoming flights for two weeks from Wednesday and will apply price controls on staple products.
India, which Johns Hopkins says has 142 cases, has shut nearly two dozen long distance train services.
Indonesia has unveiled an $8bn (£6.6bn) stimulus package to boost economic growth, including tax breaks, and police have ordered shops to ration purchases of staple foods amid reports of panic buying.
President Joko Widodo admitted recently that he had deliberately held back information about the spread of the virus to prevent panic.
A 57-year-old man in Japan who had threatened to “scatter” his disease after testing positive has reportedly died.
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
