155 fresh cases take J&K tally to 2,601

THREE MORE PEOPLE DIED DUE TO THE VIRUS IN DODA, PULWAMA AND SHOPIAN; DEATH TOLL IN UT RISES TO 31

JAMMU/SRINAGAR:: Jammu and Kashmir recorded 155 fresh Covid-19 infections on Monday, taking the total number of cases in the UT to 2,601, officials said.

Three more people have also died due to the virus in Doda, Pulwama and Shopian. With this, the death toll in J&K has risen to 31.

A health department official said, “A 70-year-old-man from Pulwama was brought dead to the hospital on Monday morning. His samples have tested positive. The deceased had comorbidities.”

The samples of a 45-year-old man from Shopian, who died at Sher-i-kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences in Srinagar, have tested positive. In Jammu, a 72-year-old man from Doda, who was admitted at the Government Medical College (GMC) Hospital in Jammu last week, died in the morning, a day after his Covid-19 test results came out positive.

“Jammu region has witnessed the biggest single-day spike of 99 new cases. These fresh cases were reported from Ramban, Doda, Jammu and Vijaypur. In Kashmir, 56 more people have tested positive in eight districts,” a health department official said.

“33 out of the 910 samples tested at CD Hospital were found to be positive. Among these, nine are pregnant women and one is a doctor from GDC Srinagar,” J&K nodal officer for Covid-19, Dr Salim Khan said.

Also, 19 more patients have recovered and were discharged

At present, active cases in Kashmir stand at 1,157 and 467 are in Jammu.

Meanwhile, after a senior IAS officer, who had attended a highlevel meeting, tested positive for the disease on Sunday, the civil secretariat was sanitised and 80 government officials along with their contacts were put in quarantine.

PARAMILITARY, DEFENCE, PERSONNEL EXEMPTED FROM TEST

The Jammu and Kashmir administration has exempted defence and paramilitary personnel returning to UT for joining duties from compulsory rapid tests for Covid-19 and subsequent administrative quarantine.

“Armed Forces and CAPF personnel returning to join their duties in J&K are exempted from rapid tests for Covid-19 and administrative quarantine. They will be sent to their respective battalions and units,” said an official spokesperson. He, however, said that travellers from red districts to orange districts within the UT will undergo Covid-19 test followed by 14-day quarantine.