14 fresh cases reported in J&K, tally rises to 106
Efforts on to trace contacts of positive patients in UT, say officials
SRINAGAR/JAMMU: As many as 14 more people tested positive for coronavirus in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, taking the total number of cases to 106 in the Union territory, officials said.
Principal secretary and government spokesperson Rohit Kansal said 14 new cases were reported in the Kashmir division. “Now, there are 82 active cases in Kashmir and 18 in Jammu,” he said. Officials said the new cases are the contacts of already positive patients.
Kashmir has witnessed a spike in Covid-19 cases from past two days. On Saturday, 17 people had tested positive in the Valley, highest in a day since March 18 when the first case was detected in Jammu and Kashmir. Many members of the Tablighi Jamaat and their contacts are among the positive cases.
Officials said they are trying to find out the contacts of all positive cases in J&K.
Meanwhile, more than seven villages in Bandipore and Kupwara districts have been declared red zones and movement in the area has been stopped.
A senior doctor privy to details of the covid-19 patients said almost all the patients are stable and are likely to recover soon.
An official spokesperson said 33,503 people are under observation in Jammu and Kashmir. “10,981 are under home quarantine, 100 in hospital isolation and 619 under hospital quarantine,’’ the spokesperson said.
On Thursday, a positive case was detected in Ladakh, taking the count to 14 in the Union Territory. However, nine patients have recovered and discharged.
RESTRICTIONS IN KASHMIR TIGHTENED
Restrictions on the movement and assembly of people in Kashmir to contain the spread of coronavirus were tightened on Sunday, officials said.
Security forces sealed off the main roads and erected barriers at several places to check the unwanted movement of people. Only pharmacies and grocery stores were allowed to operate, they added. The markets across the valley were shut and public transport was off the roads with only pharmacies and groceries allowed to open, they added. Educational institutions have been closed
95-YR-OLD UDHAMPUR MAN TESTS NEGATIVE AFTER DEATH
A 95-year-old man died of natural causes at an isolation facility in Udhampur late on Saturday. His Covid-19 test reports turned out negative on Sunday.
“The man and his brother were shifted to a quarantine facility on April 2 as a precautionary measure after it came to light that they had come in contact with a person in Magheni village who had tested positive for coronavirus,” said, Udhampur district magistrate Piyush Singla.
“The old man died on Saturday night and his body was shifted to the district hospital as per the protocol. It was not a coronavirus-related death, as the report received on Sunday was negative,” he added.
The deceased’s brother used to work as a domestic help at the home of a person who had tested positive. Following this, both brothers were quarantined at a hotel being used by the administration as an isolation facility.
Singla said that the elderly man had old-age issues and died of natural causes.