J&K: BOULDER FALLS ON HOUSE, 5 OF FAMILY DEAD
CORONAVIRUS SCARE Cinema halls in 10 Jammu districts also shut; board and competitive exams to continue as per schedule, says J&K NHM director
JAMMU: A woman and her four minor children died while her husband was injured when a boulder hit their mud house in Udhampur district during the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday. Those dead are Sharda Devi, 35, Aarti Devi, 16, Anu Devi ,14, Swani Devi ,12, and Pawan Singh,10. The lone survivor of the family Raj Singh has been hospitalised.
JAMMU/SRINAGAR: In view of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak , the government of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday ordered closure of all the academic institutions including schools, colleges and universities, across the Union Territory till March 31.
The government of Ladakh also ordered closure of six colleges in Ladakh till March 31.
“All educational institutions (public and private), including schools, colleges and universities of Jammu Kashmir has been ordered to suspend teaching and classes till March 31,” said Bhupinder Kumar, director, National Health Mission (NHM) in a press conference here on Wednesday.
Kumar added, “However, board and competitive examinations shall be conducted as per schedule”.
The J&K government has already closed all primary schools in Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Reasi and Udhampur districts of Jammu till March 31 and suspended biometric attendance in all the government offices. While the Anganwadi centres in these districts have also been closed till March 31.
The government has also ordered closure of all the cinema halls in 10 districts of Jammu region.
Kashmir’s divisional commissioner Baseer Ahmed Khan has also ordered closure of all anganwadi centres across Kashmir, which also has 10 districts.
NHM director advised, social, political and religious organisations to avoid large gatherings and functions.
1,211 PEOPLE UNDER SURVEILLANCE IN UT
Giving a detailed break up about the Corona virus suspected cases in UT of J&K till date, director informed that 1,211 travellers and persons in contact with suspected cases have been put under active surveillance; 150 of these have completed surveillance period of 28 days and 12 are under hospital quarantine.
64 samples of suspected cases have been sent for testing so far; 28 have reported negative, 1 has tested positive, 35 reports are awaited.
After one person tested positive on Monday morning, 20 people from densely-populated Sarwal locality of Jammu city, who were in touch with the person have been quarantined at Yatri Niwas-- base camp for the Amarnath pilgrims here in the temple city.
Four people with travel history to coronavirus-hit countries and three more, who had an Italian guest, who stayed with them, have been put under home quarantine in Samba district.
Commissioner secretary of Ladakh government Rigzin Samphel said, “Seven pilgrims arrived today from Iran. They were screened and we found all of them to be fine but we advised them to remain home quarantined for 14 days as per World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines and avoid meeting people”.
Samphel also informed that six colleges under University of Ladakh have been shut till March 31. Schools have already been closed till March 31.
The official also informed that samples of 45 people from two districts of Leh and Kargil were sent so far to NCDC. Reports of 30 cases were awaited while 13 others were normal and two were tested positive.
CONFUSION OVER CLOSURE OF SCHOOLS
Earlier, a turf war erupted between Srinagar mayor Junaid Azim Mattu and divisional commissioner, Kashmir, Baseer Khan who contradicted mayor by saying ‘all education institutions will function normally.’ However, both later confirmed closure of schools in J&K .