PM seeks curfew awareness
“Our efforts on March 22 will be a symbol of our self-restraint and determination to perform our duty in the national interest,” he added. Urging state governments to take the lead, the PM asked all youth organizations, including the NCC and NSS, as well as civil society to generate awareness among people about the Janata Curfew. He urged everyone to try to inform at least 10 other people
causing infection, which makes it difficult to break the chain of transmission.
ICMR has been conducting community surveillance by lifting random samples from intensive care unit (ICU) patients over the phone about this self-imposed curfew.
The PM said that on Sunday people should use the opportunity to thank the “brave people who are in the forefront of fighting the Covid-19 pandemic like the medical staff, police, government servants, airline staff, mediapersons, bus/train/auto operators and those involved in providing home delivery” by standing in their balconies or at the doors of their homes and clap or ring bells for
suffering from severe acute respiratory infections (SARI), including severe pneumonia. These samples are taken from people with no travel history or contact with a positive patient. five minutes as a show of appreciation. He urged local governments across the nation to indicate the timing through the blaring out of a siren at 5 pm.
The PM reiterated the importance of following self-imposed norms like “social distancing” and requested citizens to patiently abide by the norms. He underlined the need to isolate oneself and come out of the house only if imperative, while trying to work from home and avoid travel.
All of 826 samples collected since March 15 have returned negative for Covid-19, ICMR said in a statement. Nevertheless, ICMR has decided to further scale up random testing.
Several areas in Srinagar and the towns of Budgam and Pulwama witnessed a lockdown on Thursday after reinforcements from Jammu and Kashmir police and Central paramilitary forces wee fanned out in the wee hours to erect barricades and lay Concertina razor wires on roads to restrict the movement of residents.
This came after a 67year-old woman from Srinagar’s Khanyar area was tested positive for
Covid-19, the Valley’s first case. She had returned from a pilgrimage to Mecca earlier this week and was put in isolation. While surveillance had started in the
300-metre radius of her residence on Wednesday night itself, the authorities decided to impose restrictions in various other parts of J&K’s summer capital including Khanyar from Thursday morning.