Authorities declare ‘Corona Red Zone’ in Pulwama
Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Mar 29: A 62-year COVID-19 positive man today died in Chest Diseases hospital, Srinagar taking the Coronavirus death toll in Kashmir to 2 while five more tested positive in the Valley taking number of positive cases in Jammu and Kashmir to 38.
A 62-year old man, Ali Mohammad Sofi son of Mohammad Ramzan Sofi, resident of Tangmarg in Baramulla district with no travel history and no contact with any positive case today died in Chest Diseases hospital Srinagar.
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The hospital had sent his samples for testing and it was reported positive for COVID-19 yesterday. He was referred to CD hospital from SMHS hospital where he was put on a ventilator last evening. He was suffering from liver ailment and died this morning.
His body was taken to Tangmarg this morning where he was buried in his native graveyard under the proper protocol. The funeral was attended by 8 people including his three sons and the grave diggers in presence of senior police officials.
The three sons after burying their father boarded the ambulance for quarantine. The other contacts of the persons are also being quarantined to prevent spread of the virus.
This is second COVID-19 death in Kashmir after a 65-year-old from Hyderpora died on Thursday making him the first case of corona death.
And five more people tested positive for COVID-19 today taking the number of corona positive cases in Jammu and Kashmir to 38, with 29 in Kashmir and 9 in Jammu region.
“5 more positives cases confirmed in Kashmir -2 from Srinagar, 2 Budgam, 1 Baramulla,” Principal Secretary, Planning, Development and Monitoring Department, Rohit Kansal said in a tweet this morning.
These include 26-year-old resident of Haakh Bazar Hawal Srinagar, a 29-year old man from Sioteng Padshah Bagh Srinagar, 17-year-old from Kanidajan Budgam, 26-year-old from Charar-e-Sherief and the fifth is from Baramulla.
Three of them had returned from New Delhi between 18 and 22 March while man from Soiteng has been part of Tablighi Jamaat and it was not immediately known how he contracted the disease.
Twenty seven family members including relatives of three positive COVID-19 patients from Budgam were put under quarantine at Srinagar and Budgam hospitals.
One of the positive cases belonged to Wathura locality of Chadoora tested positive on Saturday while the other two who were tested positive today hailed from Trajbal and Kanidajan localities of Charar-i-Sharief.
Nine persons including family member and some relatives of positive COVID-19 patient from Chadoora were shifted to quarantine centre established at JLNM hospital Rainawari in Srinagar. Administration is also tracing other persons who may have come in contact with the COVID-19 patient in Chadoora.
Eighteen persons including family members and relatives of both COVID-19 patients from Charar-i-Sharief have been shifted to quarantine centre established at Industrial Estate Rangreth. Some friends of these positive cases have been put under quarantine at Sub District Hospital Charar-i-sharief.
The District Magistrate Pulwama today declared several villages of the district as ‘red zone’ where the first case of the COVID-19 positive case was detected. A 26-year old man from Khaigam village of Rajpora tested positive yesterday. He is affiliated with the Tableegi Jamat and had come in contact with a positive case.
Authorities put 87 of his contacts with 75 from his village and 12 from nearby Chandgam village under quarantine in a private school in village Chandgam in the same district.
The DM issued prohabitory orders barring any inward and outward movement of any person from the villages declared red zones and the people have been asked to stay at their homes to ensure complete lockdown.
In this regard, the District Magistrate today issued order in which villages Khaigam, Sangerwani, Abhama of Tehsil Rajpora and Gudoora, Chandgam, Pinglena and Parigam of Tehsil Pulwama were declared in red zone category and adjoining villages of these tehsils have been declared as buffer zones.
One person hailing from district attended the religious congregation at Gudura tested positive for COVID-19 has moved to various villages including his native village Khaigam that is why these villages have been declared as red zone.
“The area has become more vulnerable as far as further transmission of the COVID-19 virus is concerned. It is necessary to break further transmission of the disease in the area and it
becomes imperative to take stringent precautionary measures like declaring concerned villages as red zones and other villages of tehsil Pulwama and Tehsil Rajpora as a buffer zone,” the order said.
The order said that there would be no vehicular movement on the Pulwama-Chakoora ,Newa – Parigam and Pulwama – Keller road.
DM directed the officials concerned to ensure supply of essential commodities as per laid down protocols in the villages covering both local residents and outside labourers, and warned of stern action against anyone who try to violate the orders.
Authorities have also sealed Haakh Bazar area of Hawal and Soiteng area of Mehjoor Nagar and are looking for the contacts of these two positive persons. The family members of both these positive cases have been quarantined. The Srinagar Municipality has also fumigated these areas to prevent the spread of the virus.
Meanwhile, 31 more symptomatic persons were admitted to SKIMS Soura today. Nodal officer for coronavirus control at SKIMS, Dr G H Yatoo said that all tests which were awaited came out to be negative.
In CD hospital, 78 symptomatic persons are admitted. All the five persons who tested positive today are admitted in CD hospital and their reports were received along with 40 other persons. In all, 45 test reports were received and 40 of them came out to be negative.
Meanwhile, Rohit Kansal, who is also the J&K Govt Spokesperson, said that a couple from Srinagar who tested positive yesterday hid international travel history and such people are putting entire society to risk.
“Contact tracing teams reporting that despite so many appeals people still hiding travel histories. Couple which tested positive in Srinagar yesterday hid international travel history. This is criminal,” he said. “Please note- an entire society is being put at risk”.
In the meantime, curfew across Kashmir continued for the 11th consecutive day today. It was imposed last week after the first positive case of deadly Coronavirus was detected in the Valley.
The streets continued to be deserted and only people with emergencies were found out besides people on essential duty.
Police and paramilitary forces were deployed in strength today who enforced the restrictions across Kashmir to prevent Coronavirus outbreak.
Police today booked and arrested several people for violating prohabitory orders in Kashmir and authorities appealed people to stay indoors.
Govt places order for procurement of 400 ventilators
Irfan Tramboo
Keeping in view gravity of the situation as well as the acute shortage of life-saving ventilators in J&K, the Government has placed orders for the procurement of at least 400 ventilators.
Official sources informed Excelsior that as there is a shortage of such lifesaving equipment on the ground, the Department of Health and Medical Education (H&ME) has placed the orders for procurement of ventilators.
The sources said that the situation will ease out from next week as the consignment will start arriving here. The situation that has emerged out of the spread of COVID-19 infection has brought the issue of the shortage of ventilators to the fore.
It was also said that the ventilators will not reach here as a single consignment owing the all-around demand as of now.
“It is a big order placed keeping in view the current demand; but not all the 400 ventilators will be delivered,” the sources said.
With regard to the distribution of the ventilators that have been ordered, it was said that these will be distributed in line with the demand on the ground.
“They will be distributed in accordance with the need keeping in view the sensitiveness of the situation,” he said.
It is pertinent to mention here that while there is an acute shortage of ventilators in J&K and particularly in Kashmir, the move of procuring more in order to mitigate the shortage is going to make the difference.
As Kashmir has got around 93 ventilators in place, but most of them are being used to deal with the situation that has arisen out of the COVID-19 outbreak. It is may be mentioned here that Jammu is also running acutely short of ventilators even after 48 new ventilators were given to the GMC Jammu in February, the strength of ventilators in Jammu is not more than 72.
With regard to the shortage of PPE kits and other protective gears, the sources informed that the procurement order has been issued. “As of now the supply chain is in distress, we are hoping that it will ease out,” he said.
The sources, informed that on Monday, they are expecting a supply of 30000 hand sanitizers, 6000 N95 masks as well as around 2 lakh triple layers masks-which will be then distributed in accordance with the requirements on the ground.
Notably, there have been issues that were faced by the medical and paramedical staff on the ground with regard to the shortage of required safety gears-particularly those who are working on the frontlines.
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