Compulsory registration for road travelers for testing
*97 test +ve in Jammu, Ladakh reports second casualty
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 17: The Jammu and Kashmir Government today revised its ‘Discharge Policy for COVID-19’ patients slashing period of hospitalization of the positive cases while 97 persons including number of security personnel from Army, CRPF, BSF, JKP, IAF, shopkeepers, people from Red Zones, a GMC Jammu doctor and nine returnees from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh tested positive for Coronavirus in Jammu region as the Union Territory of Ladakh reported second Corona casualty and three more persons reported positive there.
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As per the new ‘Discharge Policy’ for COVID Patients’ issued by Financial Commissioner, Health and Medical Education Department Atal Dulloo, the patient with mild symptoms will be discharged after 10 days of onset of symptoms and no fever for three days, with advice to the patients to isolate themselves at home and self-monitor for further period of seven days, after being reported rtPCR negative.
“Patients with moderate symptoms will be discharged after resolution of clinical symptoms and maintaining of oxygen saturation for three consecutive days and reporting rtPCR negative,” the new Policy stated.
It said patients with severe symptoms will be discharged after clinical recovery and testing negative once by rtPCR (after resolution of symptoms).
Presently, the patients are being discharged after 14 days and two negative tests.
Meanwhile, District Magistrate Jammu Sushma Chauhan today ordered compulsory registration for COVID-19 sampling for road travelers arriving from outside Jammu division at the checkpoints set up at Ban Toll Plaza and Purmandal Morh before entering the district.
“It has been reported that many road travelers arriving from outside the Jammu division are skipping registration before entering the district. All road travelers will get themselves registered at the two checkpoints and make themselves available at the appointed time and location for sampling and testing without mingling with any person,” the DM’s order said.
Those violating the orders will be booked under Section 188 of Indian Penal Code and punitive action will be initiated against them under Section 51 of National Disaster Management Act which provides for imprisonment up to one year, or fine, or both.
Meanwhile, 16 persons including three constables of Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police (JKAP) 8th battalion headquartered at Miran Sahib in RS Pura today tested positive for Coronavirus in Jammu district.
Commandant JKAP 8th battalion Shiv Kumar Sharma told the Excelsior that positive constables belonged to Handwara and Kulgam and had reported back to duty after availing leave. They were under administrative quarantine, he said.
Other positives of Jammu include a PG student in Surgery Department of GMC Jammu hailing from Bhatindi, 25-year-old workshop mechanic from Simbal Camp with no travel history, 26-year-old youth from Janipura Colony, 48-year-old constable from Gadigarh who had travel history of Kishtwar and 42-year-old constable from Lachipora, Anantnag.
Other positives of Jammu district were also travelers.
Fifteen persons today tested positive for COVID-19 in Udhampur district including 12 from security forces.
Deputy Commissioner Udhampur Dr Piyush Singla told the Excelsior that of 12 positive security personnel, five belonged to CRPF, four BSF, two JKP and one to the Indian Air Force (IAF). The JKP cops hailed from Shiv Nagar and Staini and were posted in Udhampur. The cops were sampled during random testing.
A shopkeeper from Kalsote Moungri and two travelers also tested positive in Udhampur, he said.
Fifteen persons reported positive for COVID-19 in Samba district today.
They include two pregnant women from Ward No 3 Vijaypur, nine workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh who were returning here for work, an Army soldier and another worker from soft drinks Company of Bari Brahamna, SSP Samba Shakti Pathak said.
Nearly 60 persons working in the soft drinks company have reported positive for COVID-19 so far.
Fourteen persons including three from three Red Zones and one Plumber working in Executive Engineer office located in Mini-Secretariat building which also housed office of the District Magistrate, today reported positive for the virus in Ramban district.
Seven persons including a woman tested positive in Chamalwas Red Zone, four at Tethar Red Zone and two at Teligam Red Zone, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Ramban Dr Mohammad Fareed Bhat said.
The Plumber, who was working in the PHE Executive Engineer’s office at Ramban, belonged to Banihal tehsil and had been sampled during random testing when he had gone home.
Twelve persons reported positive for the virus in Rajouri district including five BSF personnel and a police constable posted at the District Police Lines (DPL).
According to SSP Rajouri Chandan Kohli, apart from five BSF and one police constables, six other positives of the district include a woman from village Rajdhani and three persons from three separate Red Zones of Nagesh Bridge, Kewal and Darhal. Two travelers, both of them workers, who had returned from outside the State, also tested positive today, Kohli said.
Four shopkeepers were among 10 persons who tested Corona positive in Kishtwar district today.
Three shopkeepers belonged to Drabshalla market and one to Chatroo, District Magistrate Kishtwar Rajinder Singh Tara said. He added that a number of shopkeepers at Drabshalla, Chatroo and other places were tested for COVID-19 randomly. Drabshalla market has been contained.
A driver from Drabshalla, two travelers from Chatroo, one pregnant woman from Padyarna and two police constables who had returned to duty in Kishtwar from leave also tested positive for COVID-19 in Kishtwar district.
Eight persons have reported positive for the virus in Kathua district.
They include one CISF jawan on duty at Lakhanpur, a Municipal worker putting up at Green Park Kathua, three persons from village Nagri who happened to be contacts of a positive person and three travelers including a BSF jawan, one each student and worker, District Magistrate Kathua OP Bhagat said.
Four persons have reported positive for the virus in Poonch district.
They include two persons from Surankote who had returned from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and two others from South Kashmir districts of Kulgam and Shopian, SSP Poonch Ramesh Angral said.
All of them have been shifted to TRC Surankote Isolation Centre.
In Reasi district, three persons today tested COVID positive including two CRPF jawans of 6th battalion deployed at Dhirti Kakryal, who were under administrative quarantine at the battalion and a Nepali gardener working in a private hotel at Katra.
As per the official figures, Jammu region now has 2644 Corona cases including 961 active. There have been 1665 recoveries and 18 deaths in the region.
As many as 63 patients were treated and discharged from various COVID hospitals today including 27 from Samba, 12 from Jammu, seven Kathua, six Reasi, five Ramban, four Udhampur and two in Poonch district.
Eight patients were treated and discharged from Chest Diseases Hospital in Bakshi Nagar, Jammu, Medical Superintendent Dr Rajeshwar Sharma said.
Meanwhile, an 82-year-old person from village Hardas in Kargil district in the Union Territory of Ladakh died of COVID-19 today becoming second Corona casualty in the UT, the first being a former Union Minister from Leh district.
Sources said the 82 years old man was hospitalized two days back for chest congestion and other problems. He died in the hospital and was reported positive for the virus.
Three more persons have tested COVID positive in Ladakh including one in Leh and two in Kargil district taking number of total Corona cases to 1151—421 in Leh and 730 in Kargil and active cases to 176—147 in Leh and 29 in Kargil. As many as 973 Corona patients have been treated and discharged in Ladakh—273 in Leh and 700 in Kargil while there have been two Corona casualties.
Of total positives, 26 were admitted in COVID hospitals, 29 were in home isolation, five in COVID Care Centres and 116 in Facility Isolation.
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