COVID is not conspiracy but a real threat, opening parks, yatra confusing: Omar

Srinagar, Jul 9 : Cautioning people that COVID-19 was not some conspiracy to harass us, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said it is a real and serious threat.
However, he alleged that opening of parks, hotels and yatra (pilgrimage to holy Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas) send a confused and mixed signals to people about the pandemic.
Taking to micro blogging site twitter the vice president of the National Conference (NC) said “These tweets by Doctors about #COVID19 should give all of us a reason to stop & reflect”. He further said “COVID is not some conspiracy to harass us. It’s real & it’s serious. The government doesn’t help matters with its confused messaging & mixed signals vis a vis parks, hotels & yatra”.
He was reacting to a tweet by Dr Tariq Tramboo MD, FIPP, interventional pain specialist. Chairman of the scientific board, Spineloop International. CO inventor of loop technology for spinal stenosis which reads “Attention: Covid 19 spreading, like wild fire ,, overnight 20 young to Middle age pts (patients) admitted in SMHS with bilateral pneumonia and 10 in JNLM (Jawahar Lal Nehru Memobial) hopital, Protect yourself if you can because no one seems to care!.
Despite sharp increase in the COVID-19 cases, government reopened all gardens and parks in the Union Territory (UT), including summer capital, Srinagar from Wednesday.
The centre has also announced to go ahead with the annual Amarnath yatra in south Kashmir Himalayas, evoking sharp demand to reopen shrines and other religious places of all faiths in the valley.
So far 151 people have died due to COVID-19. However, out of which 16 have fell to the virus during the past three days in the Jammu and Kashmir, where 9000 have tested positive.
Dr Tramboo said that at least 60 young boys symptomatic with pneumonia since last 3 days in the valley. Earlier lockdown was futile, he said adding that closing of borders would have been enough. Now is the time, he said.
Dr Tramboo said strict Lockdown for at least 7 days followed by strict fine for not wearing mask, or the health sector collapses. We don’t have Hispital infra right tackle with many cases. On the other hand people are not ready to wear mask. Brief lockdown is the need of hour or else we are doomed.
He said “Either the virus has mutated or people are extremely careless. Lot of young people admitted with bilateral pneumonia. We will soon find no space in hospitals. Stay inside for few weeks. Situation is really dangerous."
Japan has less than 1,000 covid deaths. They never went in to full economic shut down. They have an unemployment rate of 2.6 per cent. How did they do it? Virtually everybody wears a mask, he advised.