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  • Two villages declared red zones to prevent spread of COVID-19

    Shopian, Mar 30: Invoking prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC, Disaster Management Act and The Epidemic Disease Act, District Magistrate Shopian said that there would be no inward and outward movement of any person from the villages declared red zones and the people would stay in their homes to ensure complete lockdown.

    In this regard District Magistrate today issued order according to which Ramnagri and Sedow, fall in red zone category while adjoining villages of these tehsils have been declared buffer zones, for the of safety and well being of general public.

    The order further reads that there would be no vehicular movement on these roads.

    “The area has become more vulnerable as far as further transmission of the COVID-19 virus is concerned. It is necessary to break further transmission of the disease in the area and it becomes imperative to take stringent precautionary measures like declaring concerned villages as red zones and other villages.

    DM directed the officials concerned to ensure supply of essential commodities as per laid down protocols in the villages covering both local residents and outside labourers and warned of stern action against anyone who tries to violate orders—(KNO)

  • IGP issues stern message to drivers breaching lockdown orders

    Srinagar: Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Zone Vijay Kumar on Monday issued stern message to drivers breaching lockdown orders and said if violators doesn’t shun pessimistic approach, their vehicles will be seized and persons involved to be quarantined for 14 days at nearest center.

    According to Kashmir News Service (KNS), IGP appealed cab drivers who reportedly ferrying non-locals to outside J&K, to obey the guidelines of authorities given by the administration in wake of Covid-19 pandemic and obtain special passes for travelling over Srinagar-Jammu highway.

    “Anyone tries to move on NHW, specially towards Jawahar Tunnel (JT), in private vehicle without genuine pass, vehicle would be seized and passengers will be quarantined for 14 days at nearest centre”, IGP tweeted.

    He further told KNS that authorities will not allow any body to violate lockdown orders and whosoever will be found violating directions will be dealt strictly as per law.

    IGP said, in wake of COVID-19 pandemic central government has ordered strict measures to put in place for wellbeing of people and J&K Police will leave no stone unturned to execute such orders in letter and spirit on ground.

    He added those ferrying non-locals to outside J&K are equally responsible as outsiders are who instead of remaining indoors, violates government orders.

    He appealed people to stay indoors, maintain social distancing and take all required precautionary measure to keep COVID-19 away. (KNS)

  • Want to handhold tailors who procure Khadi material for masks from KVIB: Dr Hina Bhat

    Srinagar, March 30: Khadi and Village Industries Board(KVIB) decided to buy the masks from tailors or boutique owners who can make them with the Khadi material procured from it.

    Vice-Chairperson KVIB Dr Hina Bhat said the initiative has been taken to fulfill the increasing demand of masks in J&K.

    “Khadi material masks are considered as best masks. We particularly encourage those who have availed loan to setup their income generating units through PMEGP scheme. It is opportunity for them to help their state as well as earn extra income. We have sufficient raw material to distribute among the tailors of the J&K,” she told KNS.

    However she said that KVIB would provide Khadi material to any tailor in the J&K and procure their product for distribution among public (KNS)

  • Covid-19 Update: 23 New Coronavirus cases in Delhi; 13 with travel history, 4 contacts, 6 source unknown

    Coronavirus update: Among the total coronavirus cases in Delhi — two patients died of the disease — five have been discharged and one has migrated out of the country, the Delhi health department said.

    By: HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times

    New Delhi

    Delhi reported a steep rise in the number of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases on Sunday, adding 23 new infections of SARS-CoV-2 that took the Capital’s tally to 72 from 49 a day earlier, according to data released by the Delhi health department.

    Among the new cases, officials were not immediately able to established the source of the infection for six Covid-19 patients — they did not appear to have a known history of foreign travel or direct contact with another confirmed patient.

    Experts have raised concerns over possible signs of the Covid-19 outbreak entering the community transmission phase, when the source of an infection can’t be traced. Officials have, however, denied that the outbreak has entered the next stage.

    “The reports of these people who tested positive have just come to us and our teams are right now in the field trying to trace their contacts. At the moment, we do not know the source of infection in six cases. Now we have many labs in the city testing people but they do not necessarily collect history,” said an official from the state disease surveillance programme.

    Thirteen of the remaining fresh cases were traced to recent foreign travel history, while four others were linked to direct contact with another infected person.

    The six people whose infections could not be traced to their source recently came to Delhi from Andaman to attend a religious function. There are nine positive cases in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. “They had come to Nizamuddin Dargah [Delhi]. They only had history of travel from Andaman, no history of foreign travel,” an official said on condition of anonymity.

    Among the total cases in Delhi — two patients died of the disease — five have been discharged and one has migrated out of the country, the Delhi health department said.

    Some of the other patients who tested positive on Sunday were in Okhla, Kotla Mubarakpur, Gonda, Sangam Vihar, Nizamuddin West, Ghitorni, Shahpur , Vasant Kunj, and Khichripur. The total number of samples sent for testing from Delhi now stands at 2,049 and reports for 1,680 have been received, the department said.

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

  • Negligence: Clinical history of Soiteng suspect shows he is not Covid-19 positive

    Srinagar, Mar 30, KNT: in a sheer negligence either on part of the hospital administration or the government, a Covid-19 suspect was declared positive yesterday though his clinical history and hospital records at Chest Disease Hospital clearly shows that the patient is a suspect and his test report is awaited.

    A youth ( name withheld) from Soiteng Lasjan area in Srinagar outskirts was declared Covid-19 positive yesterday and shortly after the announcement, Government quarantined his family members and also his neighbouring family.

    Srinagar Municipal Corporation in his tweet declared him as the resident of Mehjoor Nagar but in another tweet he apologised and said the patient is from Soiteng Lasjan and the area will be sterilized.

    There was panic in the area as the news broke about him. Ironically, the hospital administration asked the patient today to get shifted to Ward number 5- the ward that has been exclusively reserved for Covid-19 suspects.

    “I told him why they are shifting me to Ward 5, where Covid-19 suspects admitted can be infected due to my presence. I was shocked when they informed me, I am not Covid-19 positive and the test report is still awaited,” the patient told Kashmir News Trust over phone and questioned, how can a patient be declared Covid-19 positive without waiting for test result.

    The patient said he is in shock and doesn’t know whether to weep or laugh. “Why I was declared positive when the hospital record shows my report is still awaited. Who is to be blamed,” he said.

    He told KNT that he self reported in the hospital after coming into contact with deceased Covid-19 patient from Sopore who was residing in Srinagar. Doctors say I am asymptomatic, and not a positive case.

    ‘The negligence on part of hospital or the government cost his family and they are going through severe mental agony, he told KNT.

  • Non-coordination of health officials leave suspected coronavirus patients in lurch

    Srinagar March 30 (KINS): Authorities have left suspected coronavirus people and their families in a lurch due to non-coordination between concerned health officers.
    On Monday, many suspected cases of coronavirus were brought to SKIMS Soura in ambulances from Ganderbal and other areas.

    However, these people were waiting whole day to get admitted there.
    “After bringing here, we are told they can’t admit us here. We don’t know where to go. We are being treated as dogs here,” a resident of Lar Ganderbal told Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS) over phone.
    “We even tried to approach the police but were not allowed by hospital administration. Nobody is listening to us. We have been left to the mercy of God,” a resident of Zakoora said.
    Medical Superintendent SKIMS Soura, Dr Farooq Jan said SKIMS was receiving a lot of patients for isolation.

    “We are sending them to Health Services Department. We are trying to create a space then will take them back. We already have more than 100 patients in isolation. We have space here but can’t convert this tertiary care hospital into COVID-19 hospital. Government has already designated CD Hospital, JLNM Hospital and JVC Bemina as COVID hospitals and these people should be taken there,” Farooq told KINS.

    He said SKIMS would receive only complicated COVID patients. “We can’t take people for quarantine here. People have to understand difference between SKIMS and a hotel. We have to treat other patients also. We are following guidelines of the government,” he said.

    Chief Medical Officer Srinagar told KINS that she was facilitating the things for coronavirus suspect people.
    “I am following directives of higher authorities. You better talk to Dr Waseem, who is divisional coordinator,” she said.
    Surprisingly, Dr Waseem’s mobile was switched off.(KINS)

  • First batch of students completed quarantine period allowed to go home on Monday

    Srinagar, March 30 (KINS): First batch of students who had completed incubation period of 14 day in quarantine were allowed to go their homes on Monday.

    Hundreds of Kashmiris especially students with recent travel histories to outside countries were put under quarantine in various hotels in Srinagar and in other districts.

    On Monday, around 80 people most of them students who were quarantined at a hotel on Boulevard were allowed to go home.

    “From Monday we started allowing people to go home who completed incubation period of 14 days. More students will be allowed to go home on Tuesday who will complete incubation period,” an official said.
    He said spaces opening up after the students are allowed to proceed to their homes will be sanitized and reused.

    Similarly, people who completed incubation period in other districts were also allowed to go home on Monday.

    As a precautionary measure to limit the spread of coronavirus, hundreds of travelers, including students, who arrived Kashmir from other countries, primarily from Bangladesh, were isolated soon upon their arrival and then shifted to the quarantine facilities.

    Under the plan, the administration had requisitioned over 65 well-equipped hotels and government accommodations as quarantine facilities in Srinagar. (KINS)

  • Israel confirms 16th fatality due to coronavirus; cases rise to 4,347

    Some 80 Israelis were in serious condition due to the disease

    Agencies

    Israel’s Health Ministry announced on Monday updated figures on patients infected with the coronavirus, raising the tally to at least 4,347 cases.

    The ministry later announced shortly past noon that the country suffered its 16th fatality. A 58-year-old man with “very significant existing conditions” died after being admitted to Yitzhak Shamir Medical Center in central Israel late Sunday.

    The identity of the man has not been released, but the hospital said that the man is the youngest person to die from the coronavirus in the country so far.

    Some 80 Israelis were in serious condition, including a man in his 20s hospitalized at Samson Assuta Ashdod University Hospital.

    The country’s death toll remained steady at 15 as of Monday morning. The latest fatality was identified as 84-year-old Rosa Sherman, hospitalized in Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center. She was Israel’s third death on Sunday.

    Victim number 13 was reported to be a 92-year-old man, who died in a Jerusalem hospital from virus-related complications.

    At least 89 Israeli citizens have recovered from the disease.

    Over the weekend, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed enforcing tighter restrictions on the Israeli public to contain the virus.

    Following a Friday meeting with Finance, Defense and Health Ministers, Netanyahu said that a full shutdown of the country was inevitable, unless the coming two days showed a decline in infection rate.

    Israel’s unemployment rate stands at 22.15% as of Sunday morning, according to Israel Employment Services. A total of 32,577 people filed for unemployment over the last two days and 764,165 have enrolled since the beginning of March.

  • Medical staff at greater risk of severe disease from coronavirus: DAK

    Srinagar Mar 30: Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) on Monday said doctors, nurses and paramedical staff are at greater risk of developing severe disease if they get infected with the novel (new) coronavirus.
    “The novel virus seems to hit health care workers harder than others who contract the disease,” said DAK President Dr Nisar ul Hassan.
    Dr Nisar said at least 41 health care workers have died in Italy and more than 5,000 medical personnel including doctors, nurses, technicians, ambulance staff and other health employees have been infected by the virus since the outbreak there began.
    “At the epicenter of the novel coronavirus pandemic, Chinese officials have reported that nearly 3,400 health care workers have been infected with 22 deaths.”
    “We don’t know what is making them sicker than other patients. May be it is due to the higher dose of the virus they are receiving,” he said.
    Dr Nisar said health care workers, especially the frontline are at the highest risk of exposure to the virus.
    “Medical staff in high risk areas like ICU have more exposure to infection as the severely ill are more infective, and also they do the higher frequency of medical intervention and aerosol-generating procedures like intubation and respiratory/ airway suctioning,” he said.
    Dr Nisar said it is imperative to protect doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and medical students because they are out there saving lives.
    “Medical staff must remain safe because if health care workers collapse, the health system will shut down, and people will die,” he said adding that “extensive protective gear is the best way to safeguard clinical staff who treat COVID-19 patients.”
    Dr Nisar said health care workers must self-monitor, report signs of illness and not engage in patient care while exhibiting respiratory symptoms.
    “Many health care workers have medical conditions that elevates risk of severe infection and death. Such work force should be redeployed away from high risk sites,” he added.
    “With COVID-19 crisis likely to stretch over weeks to months, ensuring that health care workers get adequate rest and are supported as health care professional and as an individual will help to keep them going,” said Dr Nisar.

  • Govt revokes PSA detention of 31 persons lodged in J&K jails

    Srinagar, Mar 30: In a major development, the government of Jammu and Kashmir has revoked Public Safety Act (PSA) detention of 31 persons languishing in different jails of Union Territory.

    Highly placed sources disclosed to wire service—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that government has revoked PSA detention of 31 persons lodged in different jails of the Union Territory.

    “Of them, 11 are lodged in Kotbalwal, 14 in Srinagar central jail, 4 in Rajouri and two in Kathua,” sources disclosed—(KNO)