4 minor girls among 12 more test positive in Kashmir, J&K total 106

Wajahat Shabir. Updated: 4/6/2020 10:06:46 AM Front Page

10 more areas declared red zones, total across UT 45

SRINAGAR: The coronavirus continued its upward trend on Sunday, with 12 more cases testing positive in Kashmir Valley, taking the total number of patients in Jammu and Kashmir to 106, even as the authorities declared ten more areas as 'red zones' on Sunday, taking the total number of such prohibited zones across the UT to 45.
All the 12 fresh cases reported on Sunday belong to Valley, including four minor girls among five from Baramulla district, two from Budgam, an elderly couple from Shopian, besides one case each from Ganderbal, Bandipora and Srinagar districts.
Director National Health Mission, Jammu and Kashmir Bhupinder Kumar said, “Seven of the patients that were reported positive today are family members or contacts of earlier confirmed positive cases.”
With this, the total number of positive cases in Kashmir Valley has gone up to 85, 82 of them active as one of them has recovered while two others died, even as the number of patients in Jammu region remained at 21, three of them recovered.
A district-wise break up shows that maximum 28 cases of the total 85 are reported from Srinagar, followed by Bandipora with 17 cases, Budgam 10, Baramulla 13, Shopian 7, Kupwara 6, Pulwama 3 and Ganderbal 1.
All five persons who tested positive in Baramulla are women including four minors, and are family members of two infected teachers.
Official sources said that the patients include 38-year-old wife and three minor daughters of a teacher who had tested positive earlier this week, while the fifth patient is also a 11-year-old daughter of a teacher who had earlier tested positive.
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A 68-year-old man and his 65-year-old wife who HAD arrived on March 16 from Saudi Arabia after performing Umrah have tested positive in Shopian while a 24-year-old, contact of a previous patient, and a 14-year-old cousin of youth from an infected person from Pakherpora have tested positive for the disease in Budgam.
A 21-year-old teenager from Jawahar Nagar who had arrived from Indonesia, a resident of Gurez who had arrived from Bhopal and was a part of Tablighi Jamaat, and a 60-year-old from Guzhama Wakoora are the other patients who tested positive today in Srinagar, Bandipore and Ganderbal, respectively.
Also, four doctors have also been kept in quarantine after a patient they were monitoring had tested positive from Handwara earlier this week.
Meanwhile, the authorities in Kashmir declared six villages in Bandipora district as 'red zones' and their surrounding villages as buffer zones, on Sunday after six people tested positive for coronavirus in these areas.
District Magistrate, Bandipora, Shahbaz Ahmad Mirza, said that in view of six positive cases reported from these villages, it has become imperative to initiate restrictive measures under section 144 CrPC for prevention of danger to human life , health and safety.
“The villages are Konan, Gund Qaiser, Gund-Dachina, Hakbara, Madwan and Pethkote, all in the north Kashmir district,” he said.
Under the order issued by the DM, there should be no outward or inward movement of any individual for any reason in these villages.
In Baramulla, Amlok Colony and Sultankadi areas in Uri have been declared red zones while in Udhampur, DM Piyush Singhla declared Narsoo and Chunti villages as red zones and their surrounding villages as buffer zones after three persons from Narsoo village tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday.
"There shall be no inward or outward movement of any person from these villages and people shall stay at their homes. There shall be complete lockdown. That there shall be no vehicular movement on internal lanes or roads connecting these villages," Singla said in an order and warned of stern action against violators.
A total of 45 hotspots have been identified in Jammu and Kashmir which include: seven in Pulwama, five in Srinagar, and 10 in Bandipora, four in Budgam, three in Baramulla, two in Shopian, and one in Ganderbal in Kashmir division; and five in Rajouri, five in Jammu and three in Udhampur district of Jammu division.
According to a Media Bulletin on novel coronavirus issued on Sunday, 33503 travellers and persons in contact with suspected cases have been put under surveillance which include 10981 persons in home quarantine including facilities operated by government, 619 in Hospital Quarantine, 100 in hospital isolation and 16237 under home surveillance. Besides, 5566 persons have completed their 28-day surveillance period.
The Bulletin further said that till date 1551 samples have been sent for testing of which 1429 have tested as negative, and 16 reports are awaited till April 5, 2020.
The Bulletin urged the general public to stay indoors, strictly implement social distancing measures, disclose recent travel history to COVID-19 affected countries and report any contact with positive cases voluntarily.
According to the advisory issued in the media bulletin, people are advised to take care of the mental health of children.
“It is important to reassure your children whenever needed, listen to their concerns and try answering their queries related to the outbreak. Do not avoid their questions related to Covid-19 or speak to them harshly. Make them understand that things will be better if we take proper care. Engage them in indoor activities to cut down boredom. Keep them in contact with their friends, cousins and loved ones by calling them up or through video calls.
“Give them proper facts in a way that they can understand so that they do not remain confused, as this may increase their anxiety. Ensure that they have a regular habit of studying by giving them small assignments related to their lessons,” the advisory added.


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