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  • Govt extends high speed internet ban till May 11

    Srinagar: The Government on Monday ordered the continuation of the ban on high-speed internet in Jammu and Kashmir till May 11.

    In a latest order issued by the Home Department, the reason cited for the decision includes spurt in militant violence, the launch of new outfits and “well-founded” apprehensions of the “field agencies” regarding “enhanced efforts by Pakistan for recruitment in the (militant) ranks as well as infiltration attempts, which heavily depend on high-speed internet.”

    “Such restrictions have been placed in order to curb uploading, downloading, circulation of provocative videos, guard against rumor-mongering, fake news, prevent the use of encrypted messaging and VOIP services for infiltration and coordinating (militant) activities, and defeat the nefarious designs from across the border to propagate (militancy,” reads the order issued here by Principal Secretary Home department, a copy of which lies with Global News Service.

    It said the misuse of data services by “anti-national elements” has the potential to scale up violent activities and disturb public order, “which has till now been maintained due to the gradual easing of restrictions on access to the internet while ensuring that rights and interests of the citizens are not affected adversely.”

    “Now, therefore, on consideration of the overall security scenario and the reports of the law enforcing agencies, I am satisfied that there is no other alternative but to continue with the speed restrictions in respect of access to the internet through mobiles while providing unrestricted fixed-line connectivity i.e. without any speed restrictions, and, accordingly, in the interest of the sovereignty and the integrity of India, the Security of the State and for maintaining public order, ….I, Principal Secretary to the Government, Home Department, hereby direct that there shall (restrictions on access to the internet with mobile data services restricted to 2G only,” reads the order, adding that these restrictions shall continue till May 11. (GNS)

  • Kashmir Youngest Covid-19 Victim Among 23 More Cases In J&K

    Fresh Positive Cases Includes Expectant Mother, 13 Other Women

    Srinagar: A two-year-old girl from the Shopian district on Monday became the youngest in the Jammu and Kashmir to have tested positive for novel coronavirus. In all 23 fresh cases were reported in the last twenty-four hours and includes an expectant mother besides at least thirteen other women.

    Officials told GNS that among the fresh cases, 15 were confirmed at Viral Diagnostic Lab of SKIMS Soura and include five each from Baramulla and Shopian, three from Bandipora and one each from Budgam and Kupwara districts.

    Seven other cases were confirmed at the COVID-19 testing laboratory at Chest Disease hospital Dalgate and include six from Anantnag district and one each from Srinagar.

    Also, the Jammu division reported one fresh case—a 46-year-old, a native of Mahore Reasi with travel history from UP. His is the first case from Reasi district, the sources added.

    Regarding the five cases from Shopian, the sources said includes 2-year-old and a 12-year-old boy from Heerpora while three others are from Beminipora village—12-year-old and 17-year-old women besides 75-year-old man. With two fresh cases, Heerpora, a small village comprising around 1000 households, now has 48 COVID-19 patients even as a few among them have recovered.

    Regarding Baramulla cases, sources said that they include three females each aged 32-years-old and two males—one 32-year-old and other a 6-year-old boy, all residents of Malpora Sheeri and contacts of previous patients.

    “One among the women is an expectant mother with few just days left for her delivery. She has been shifted to SKIMS Bemina and would probably be referred to JLNM hospital for further treatment,” Deputy Commissioner Baramulla Dr G N Itoo told GNS.

    Regarding cases from Anantnag district, sources said that they include five females aged 41, 44, 45, 46 and 75 of Wangam Nowgam besides a 55-year-old of Pushroo Nowgam.

    Regarding three cases from Bandipora, sources said that they include 36-year-old woman, a 14-year-old boy and 65-year-old man from Gundjahangir village, one of the severely affected areas in the north Kashmir district.

    Regarding Kupwara, they said, a 6-year-old boy from Muqam-e-Shahwali tested positive for the pestilence.

    Budgam case is a 30-year-old female from Ratsun area of the central Kashmir district.

    Srinagar’s case is said to be a 75-year-old woman from Rainawari in central Kashmir district.

    With these fresh cases, Bandipora now has 127 COVID-19 patients, highest in all districts, followed by Srinagar (86), Shopian (68), Baramulla (67), Kupwara (48), Anantnag (49), Jammu (26), Udhampur (20), Ganderbal (15), Budgam (14), Kulgam (6), Rajouri (4), Samba (4), Pulwama (3) while Kathua, Kishtwar, Ramban and Reasi districts have one case each.

    Meanwhile, twenty seven people have recovered including 13 in Srinagar, 4 in Baramulla, three in Ganderbal, two each in Shopian and Udhampur besides one each in Bandipora, Kupwara and Jammu district. With them, 164 have recovered while seven people six in Kashmir and one in Jammu have died, leaving active cases at 375.

    Meanwhile, according to officials, till date, 67570 travellers and persons in contact with suspected cases have been enlisted for surveillance which includes 6320 persons in-home quarantine including facilities operated by government, 259 in Hospital Quarantine, 375 in hospital isolation, and 9984 under home surveillance. Besides, 50625 persons have completed their surveillance period. (GNS)

  • No SoP followed to treat, bury pregnant lady of Kokernag

    Anantnag: No standard operating procedures were followed in treating a pregnant lady of Kharpora, Kokernag in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district,who was tested positive for Covid- 19, a day after her death.

    As per the standard operating procedures (SOPS), the pregnant women in red zones shall be enlisted and they shall be managed at health centres established in red and buffer zones.

    Besides that according to SOP, all the asymptomatic pregnant women shall be tested one week before the expected date of delivery (EDD) using rapid antibody tests

    However the hospital authorities have failed to set up an isolation facility for the expecting mothers coming from red zones at MCH Anantnag, there by risking the lives of patients as well as attendants.

    A doctor, requesting anonymity, told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that deceased, the wife of Javid Ahmad, a resident of Kharpora Kokernag, who died along with twins at MCH Anantnag wasn’t kept in isolation ward and she came in contact with dozens of patients and attendants.

    She was taken to labour room but before treating her, doctors and paramedical staff had to literally beg for safety gears, he said, adding that no SOP was followed as her samples for covid-19 should have been taken before seven days whether she was symptomatic or asymptomatic.

    “The medical staff and attendants were worried as swabs of pregnant lady were taken for testing after her death,” the doctor said. “The medical staff is in complete shock since her tests came positive.”

    Pertinently, soon after her death, her family members alleged that doctors were hesitant to treat her as she was from red zone area which lead to her death along with twins.

    Soon after allegations, an inquiry committee was constituted and asked to submit its report within three days. Officials sources said that despite knowing that she is from red zone area and taking her samples for covid-19 testing, body was handed over to family for last rites.

    They said authorities should have kept her body in a mortuary till her covid report would have come. “As per the WHO guidelines, all pregnant women who visit hospital have to be treated as covid-19 probable and this lady was from the red zone and made her more suspected,” said another doctor.

    Locals from Kharpora, Kokernag also said that at least 100 persons took part in her funeral besides dozens of ladies were present at her residence and gave her burial bath.

    Principal Government Medical College Dr Showkat Jeelani said that three doctors, two nurses and few medicos were immediately asked to go for home quarantine after the death of lady.

    He further claimed that the lady was presumed as covid-19 patient and was buried as per WHO guidelines. Asked that there was an evidence that hundreds of people have participated in her last rites, he said: “We too have reports that few of her relatives have took part in her funeral. We have rushed a team there to trace her all possible contacts.”

    To query about the fate of inquiry, he said that the process is on and once it will be completed, details will be shared. “If anybody is found involved in negligence, action will be taken,” he said—KNO)

  • COVID lockdown: Kashmiris offer food, other essentials to non-local laborers

    Srinagar: Amid COVID-19 lockdown, Kashmiris are lending helping hand to non-local laborers by offering them food and other essentials.

    There are around 20,000 migrant laborers stranded in Kashmir. Most of these migrant workers are running out of money and food and are desperate to go back to their native places.

    Amid this locals are providing them food and other essential to these laborers.

    “We are running out of money but some local people are providing us food and other essentials. The locals provide us all possible help and are even collecting money to help non-local laborers,” a non-local laborer Satish Kumar from Bihar told news agency KINS.

    He is stranded along with a group of non-local laborers in old city Srinagar.

    Another non-local laborer from Uttar Pradesh said they reached Kashmir in the second week of March. “I worked for two days and earned Rs 1000 before the lockdown started.

    Kashmir’s working season starts in March so laborers had started coming here from various parts of the country. Government should have given laborers three days to reach to their homes before announcing lockdown,” he said, who is a mason by profession and is stranded in Srinagar.

    “Last week we had no food to eat but we were provided food by locals. How long can we dependent on local or on some support of the Kashmir administration,” he asked.

    Many local youth has provided food and other essential to score of non-local laborers in various parts of Srinagar including at Hawal.

    “Our families are worried about our safety. I have seen 2010 and 2016 lockdown but this time it is scary to stay here. We want to leave for our home as soon as possible. We want to survive to see the faces of our family members,” a laborer from Uttar Pradesh, who is stranded in Anantnag told KINS.

    He said some locals helped them and provided food. “But everyone is running for his safety. If anyone gets infected, he can disseminate it to others. We (labourers) are prone to get infected as we don’t sanitize ourselves. How can we avoid any possible transmission of the virus when we are not able to maintain any distance,” he asked, who is a barber by profession.

    Almost 80 percent barbers in Kashmir are non-locals as societal pressure has forced many local barbers to give up this trade.

    Locals along with NGOs have been arranging meals in various areas for migrant laborers. “When everything is halted and these non-local laborers have not earned a single penny, it is our responsibility to take care of them,” said Omar Ahmad. He along with a group of people has been arranging meals for non-local laborers in parts of south Kashmir.

    “They had left Kashmir last year in August and starting coming back in March. Almost four lakh laborers would have come to Kashmir by April 15 had there been no lockdown,” an official of Labour Departments said.(KINS)

  • Lone brother of six sisters dies in road accident

    Pulwama: In a road accident, a youth died on Monday after being hit by a Tipper in Pathan village of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

    Sources told KNT the youth named Anayat Ahmad Wani son of Ali Mohammad Wani from Sanzwatri village of Pulwama was riding a Scooty when he was hit by a Tipper.

    “It was so instant that I can’t get myself to believe it actually happened. The boy was badly injured and died on the spot,” one of the eye-witnesses said.

    It is pertinent to mention that the youth was a lone brother of six sisters.

    Meanwhile, a police team reached the spot for investigations in connection with the mishap and arrested the Tipper driver. (KNT)

  • Vadodara man breaks wife’s spine after she defeats him in online ludo

    TOI

    VADODARA: The pleasure of online ludo game turned intensely bitter for a couple after the man mercilessly thrashed his wife who defeated him consecutively in the game.

    The 24-year-old woman suffered severe spinal cord injuries and had to be hospitalized recently.

    According to the counsellors of 181 Abhayam helpline, the woman, who gives tuition at her house in Vemali to contribute to the family income.
    Wanting her husband to stay indoors instead of spending time with others in their society, she coaxed him to play ludo on the mobile phone. He agreed to play, but his wife defeated him consecutively for three to four rounds in the game.

    “A sore loser, he started arguing with with his wife and the verbal duel turned ugly. He started beating her with such ferocity that the woman developed a gap between two of her vertebrae,” said a counsellor from 181 Abhayam.

    “His ego was hurt thinking that wife outsmarted him and was more intelligent as she also contributed to the family income,” said the counsellor.

    The man works in a private electronics company and earns enough to sustain both of them. However, as they have to pay instalments of their home loan, the woman started started giving tuitions at home and did a beautician’s course.

    The woman was taken to an orthopaedic surgeon and after treatment she decided to go to her parents’ home instead of living with her husband,” the counsellor said.

    “But before that she wanted to go to her home to collect some documents. We then counselled them both,” the counsellor added.

    Project coordinator Chandrakant Makwana said, “Our counsellors give options to the women whether they want to lodge a police complaint or settle the issue. In this case since the husband apologized and the woman did not wish to register an offence, so we counselled to live to together and the consequences about marital discord.”

    The man was warned that physical torture is a crime and he can be arrested for the crime if she would complain to the police. “He agreed and apologized to the woman. She too agreed to return to him after spending a few days with her parents,” the counsellor said.
    A written undertaking about it was also taken from the couple.

  • 24 more test positive, J&K’s COVID-19 tally nears 550-mark

    Srinagar: Twenty four persons on Monday tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Jammu and Kashmir, taking the overall tally of the COVID-19 patients in J&K near 550-mark.

    Official sources told GNS that among them, 15 were confirmed at Viral Diagnostic Lab of SKIMS Soura and include five each from Baramulla and Shopian, 3 from Bandipora and one each from Budgam and Kupwara districts.

    Eight other cases were confirmed at the COVID-19 testing laboratory at Chest Disease hospital Dalgate and include six from Anantnag district and one each from Srinagar and Kulgam districts.

    Also, Jammu division reported one fresh case and is said to be man in late 40s.

    His is the first case from Reasi district, the sources added. As per the official data, till late Sunday, there were 523 cases and new cases take the overall tally to near 550-mark. (GNS)

  • New Zealand has ‘won battle’ against community transmission of Covid-19: Ardern

    Ahead of move to level-3 lockdown, PM says country must remain vigilant

    The Guardian

    New Zealand’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, has said the country has stopped the “widespread, undetected community transmission” of Covid-19, as tough lockdown restrictions are scheduled to ease on Monday night.

    Ardern said New Zealand had “avoided the worst” in the pandemic, but must continue to fight the virus.

    “There is no widespread undetected community transmission in New Zealand. We have won that battle. But we must remain vigilant if we are to keep it that way,” she said.

    At 11.59pm on Monday, New Zealand will lift its level-4 lockdown which has been in place for more than four weeks. During that time, almost all businesses have been closed, along with schools while the population has been asked to remain in their homes for all but supermarket visits and short walks.

    Ardern said there was no way of knowing what may have happened without the level-4 lockdown.

    But she warned that in level-3 there were new risks – namely people coming into more contact with others.

    Level 3 will see retailers, restaurants and schools allowed to reopen on a smaller scale. Schools will reopen on Wednesday for children up to Year 10 who cannot study from home, or whose parents need to return to work.

    Workers will also be able to resume on-site work, provided they have a Covid-19 control plan in place, with appropriate health and safety and physical distancing measures. It is expected one million New Zealanders will return to work on Tuesday.

    However, Ardern warned the public of bringing too many people into expanded family “bubbles”.

    “We are opening up the economy, but we’re not opening up people’s social lives,” Ardern said.

    The director general of health, Ashley Bloomfield, said that the transmission of the virus had been “eliminated”. This did not mean zero cases, but that health officials knew where all new cases were coming from.

    Ardern was also optimistic – asked if New Zealand had eliminated Covid-19, she replied “currently”.

    New Zealand’s transmission rate – the number of people each infected person can pass the virus to – was now under 0.4, compared to the average overseas transmission rate of 2.5.

    Bloomfield said Covid-19 was a “tricky virus” and New Zealanders needed to remain vigilant. He reported one more Covid-19 related death on Monday. The nation’s 19th victim was a woman in her 90s. There was one new confirmed case and four probably cases, he said.

    Ardern said the country would remain at level 3 for two weeks before cabinet decided on whether to move to level 2.

    “We can only do this if we continue to pull together. If we need to stay at level 3 [for longer] we will.”

    She also said she was hopeful that New Zealand and Australia might be able to create a trans-Tasman bubble at some time in the future, possibly allowing travel between the two countries, but the focus was making sure both countries were domestically managing the virus.

    Despite the optimistic numbers, both Bloomfield and Ardern warned against complacency.

    “To succeed we must hunt down the last few cases of the virus,” said Ardern. “This is like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

    To that end, a contact tracing app for Covid-19 would also be available in the next fortnight, however, Ardern said that had limitations.

  • China’s Wuhan city discharges last COVID-19 patient from hospital

    After more than three months of fight against the deadly virus, Wuhan, where coronavirus first emerged, cleared all COVID-19 cases in hospitals on Sunday.

    PTI

    The last COVID-19 patient in Wuhan has been discharged and the hospitals in the epicentre of the global coronavirus pandemic in the central Chinese city have no coronavirus cases for the first time after more than three months of arduous battle against the deadly virus that infected over 80,000 people on the mainland, health officials said.

    China’s National Health Commission (NHC) announced on Monday that three new confirmed coronavirus cases, including two from the Chinese returning from abroad and one local transmission were reported on Sunday.

    The overall death toll stood at 4,633 and no new fatalities were reported on Sunday. The overall confirmed cases in China reached 82,830 by Sunday, including 723 patients still being treated and 77,474 people who had been discharged.

    Altogether 80 patients were discharged from the hospitals after recovery on Sunday, while the number of severe cases increased by one to 52, the NHC said.

    Meanwhile, after more than three months of fight against the deadly virus, Wuhan where coronavirus first emerged in December last and became a pandemic, cleared all COVID-19 cases in hospitals on Sunday.

    The outcome was earned through the hard work of medical workers in Wuhan and those sent from across the country, Mi Feng, a spokesperson for the NHC, was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency.

    This came as a 77-year-old man tested negative for the second time for coronavirus in the capital city of Hubei Province, the report said.

    He no longer had clinical symptoms and was able to be discharged, an official with Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said.

    Sunday’s announcement was a new testament that the local spread of COVID-19 in the country has basically been curbed, it said.

    It was also a milestone for Wuhan. This came five days after its cases dropped to double digits and less than 70 days after daily hospitalised cases peaked at 38,020, Xinhua reported.

    “It is a historic day,” said Shang You, a critical care unit doctor in Wuhan. “We have been waiting for this day for so long.”

    As of Sunday, 627 Chinese who has returned from abroad were being treated with 22 in severe condition, the NHC said.

    Also on Sunday, 25 new asymptomatic cases, including one from abroad, were reported on the mainland.

    The NHC said 974 suspected asymptomatic cases, including 131 from abroad, were still under medical observation.

    Asymptomatic cases refer to people who tested positive for the coronavirus but develop no symptoms such as fever, cough or sore throat. They are infectious and pose a risk of spreading to others.

    The novel coronavirus is believed to have originated in a wet market in Wuhan and first emerged in December before spreading quickly worldwide.

    Beginning January 23, Wuhan was put under a lockdown that lasted 76 days.

    In Wuhan, scores of hospitals were designated to treat COVID-19 patients and 16 temporary hospitals were set up, opening up 60,000 hospital beds to meet the surging demand.

    Over 42,000 medical workers were sent to Hubei from across the country, as well as key medical supplies such as ventilators, protective suits, masks and daily necessities.

    Since February 18, the cases in Wuhan have been on the decline.

    As of the end of Saturday, Wuhan had reported a total of 50,333 confirmed cases and 3,869 deaths. The recovery rate has topped 92 per cent.

    In Hubei, no new confirmed cases have been reported for over 20 days, and the number of remaining cases dropped below 50, the report said.

    Life is returning to normal. Hubei’s work resumption rate of major industrial firms has reached 98.2 percent and most of their workers have got back to work.

    Schools will soon open. Students in the final year of senior high schools in Hubei are expected to return to classes on May 6, it said.

    Officials said for the next step Wuhan must keep guarding against imported cases while preventing a resurgence of the outbreak.

  • Kashmiri Apple Growers Seek Help from Locals This Ramzan as Lockdown Leaves Behind Bitter Taste

    Usually, apples stocked in October are released from April, but in the last one month only 30,000 tonnes could hit the ‘mandis’ in Punjab and Delhi that opened intermittently due to the restrictions.

    Mufti Islah, CNN-News18

    Lassipora, (Pulwama): Kashmir’s impeccably delicious and off-seasonal apples have hit the COVID-19 bump, prompting growers to pitch a bailout call to locals.

    Apple growers were anticipating selling the held-back produce at good prices but the coronavirus lockdown has dashed all their hopes. With severe restrictions across the country, traders and farmers are neither finding old and dependable market chains nor affordable transport to ferry the apples even to Srinagar or big towns of the Valley.

    The thought of incurring more losses looming large have forced some traders to relay distress calls to fellow Kashmiris to buy apples in bulk in the month of Ramzan. This, they hope, will help them recover losses and tide over debts incurred on pesticides and cold storage.

    “A 15kg box in cold storage is charged Rs 30 to 32 a month and you can calculate how much we have spent in the last six months just to keep the apples fresh and retain their hardness,” said Shabaz, an apple grower.

    “We can at least recover some losses if locals consume apples during Ramzan,” said Afroz, a fruit trader.

    Kashmiris devour dates, watermelons, muskmelons, grapes and cherries to break their fast during Iftaar. Afroz and others want them to include apples in their menu too.

    Tanveer ul Haq, an apple trader from Shopian, put up an emotional message on social media asking locals to buy apples instead of other fruits, which any way are not reaching Kashmir in adequate quantities due to the pandemic.

    “I pleaded to the Kashmiris to eat as many apples as they can. Our growers have suffered immense losses and they need your help to pay back loans,” he said.

    The fruit growers in the Valley were able to ship out a huge chunk of the total 2.2 million tonnes of apples from October to various ‘mandis’ across the country. They held back 1.3 lakh tonnes of top-notch Red Delicious for six months in controlled storage with an eye on the summer market, when apples sell at roaring prices.

    Usually, apples stocked in October are released from April, but in the last one month only 30,000 tonnes could hit the ‘mandis’ in Punjab and Delhi that opened intermittently due to the restrictions.

    Meanwhile, in Pulwama’s Lassipora village, 18 of the Valley’s 22 cold storage plants still hold close to a lakh tonne of produce, waiting to be shipped out.

    “It is very tough to send fruits from here. One, mandis across India don’t open regularly and two, the transport is a big deal. If some truckers want to ply, they charge you two to three times more than normal,” said Nazir Ahmad, a grower from Keegam, outside a cold chain plant while hauling up boxes of apple carton in a small loadcarrier. Albeit, he wasn’t sure where to take it.

    “If allowed, will take it to city and sell. But inter-district movement is not allowed,” he added.

    Apart from transportation, apple growers have been left aghast as some police checkpoints have stopped them to reach the storage plants where their fruit has been locked since the last six months.

    “The police does not allow us to enter Pulwama,” lamented Yasir Ahmad, a trader from Shopian. They have been told to stop the entry of people from Shopian into Pulwama district.

    “The reason could be that Pulwama has no coronavirus positive cases, while there are a few red zones in Shopian, including a case of community transmission in Hirpora village,” said Mohammad Gafoor.

    Akeel Hassan, a manager of cold storage plant told News18 that looking at apple growers’ issues, they have decided not to charge them for the extended period they deposit fruit there.

    “Our agreement to retain fruit was till March end but because they don’t find buyers they have kept it here. We have not charged them for this period. They are already in loss and that is why we are asking the government to bail out the fruit industry,” Hassan added.

    Taking cognizance of the matter, Deputy Commissioner of Shopian, Yasin Chowdhary, said that his team has taken up the issue of movement of fruit growers from Shopian into Lassipora with his Pulwama counterpart and they have worked out an arrangement of allowing 10 growers per day.

    “We don’t want many people to crowd in the area due to the pandemic protocol, but 10 growers will be allowed every day to collect apples for selling,” he said, adding there are around 30 to 35 growers from Shopian who have stocked their apples in the cold storages.

    (This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed)