8 new cases in Valley, total 37
Red Zones in 2 more districts
Wajahat Shabir. Updated: 3/31/2020 12:36:01 PM

SRINAGAR: Eight more persons tested positive for COVID-19 in Kashmir on Monday evening, taking the tally of infected persons in the Valley to 37, even as the authorities declared villages in two more districts as red zone, prohibiting movement of people there.
Of the eight news cases, four are residents of Srinagar, two from Shopian and one each from Budgam and Bandipora.
Official sources said four of them are admitted in SKIMS Soura, while two each are presently in JLNM Rainawari and District Hospital Pulwama.
Those in SKIMS Soura include a 36-year-old resident of Lal Bazar who had recently returned from Kolkata, a 24-year-old from Noorbagh area of Srinagar who returned from Haryana recently, a 30-year-old male from Saderkote Balla Bandipora who is believed to be contact of a previous COVID-19 patient, and a 27-year-old youth from Soibugh area of central Kashmir’s Budgam district who has travelled to Orissa as part of a ‘Tablighi Jamaat’ recently.
The two residents of Bemina in Srinagar admitted in JLNM hospital is a father (61-year-old) and son (32) duo. They had returned from Saudi Arabia on March 16, sharing the same flight as that of the Kashmir’s first COVID-19 patient, a 67-year-old woman from Khaniyar Srinagar who has almost recovered fully since and her latest test came out to be negative.
Also, two residents of Sedow and Ramnagri of Shopian district in south Kashmir who have a travel history to Indonesia are admitted in District Hospital Pulwama. The duo as per the reports had also shared a sumo vehicle on way to home from Jammu to Srinagar with a COVID-19 patient from Bemina Srinagar.
Now, Kashmir Valley has a total of 37 cases including maximum 19 from Srinagar, followed by Bandipora with 9 cases, Budgam 4, Baramulla and Shopian 2 cases each and Pulwama 1.
Kashmir has already lost two elderly citizens to the Coronavirus and two – including one from Jammu, are on way to recovery, leaving the active cases in Valley to 34 and that in the UT to 45.
Meanwhile the authorities have declared three more villages in two district of Valley as red zone, banning any movement in and out of the locals there.
After reports that some members of the Tablighi group with contact history had visited Waskura village in Ganderbal district, the local DM on Monday declared the village as a "red zone" stopping all entry and exit from the village.
Three neighbouring villages-- Kharbagh, Batwina and Ahan have been also brought under the lockdown though authorities said uninterrupted supplies of essentials would be ensured to these villages.
The order was issued in view of the COVID-19 positive case from Hajin, Bandipora who has come in contact with many persons including relatives belonging to Village Waskura, Ganderbal due to which the area has become vulnerable as far as transmission of the COVID-19 virus is concerned.
Besides 13 people have already been quarantined who have come in contact with the infected person, he added.
The Shopian district authorities also declared two villages as red zones following detection of positive cases of coronavirus there.
The two villages are Ramnagri and Sedow while adjoining villages of these tehsils have been declared as buffer zones for the safety and well being of general public.
"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," an official spokesperson said.
He said there would be no vehicular movement on these roads.
The authorities had on Sunday declared seven villages in Pulwama district as red zones following detection of a positive coronavirus case who had travelled to these areas.
The total number of red zone villages in Jammu and Kashmir has grown up to 15 now, including five villages in Rajouri district.



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