Cop escapes after testing positive, traced in Banihal
*GMC Jammu conducts record 1821 Corona tests in a day
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, June 28: Seven police constables, one CRPF jawan, a Government teacher and two pregnant women were among 29 persons who tested positive for COVID-19 in Jammu region while one of the police constables escaped from quarantine centre at Kot Bhalwal after he reported positive for the virus and was tonight traced in Banihal. Thirty one Corona patients were today treated and discharged from various COVID hospitals in the region.
In the Union Territory of Ladakh, three more Corona positive cases were reported.
Five police personnel, all of whom were lodged in one quarantine centre at Kot Bhalwal after their return to duty from leave tested positive for COVID-19 but one of them managed to scale wall of the centre and fled away switching off his mobile telephone.
While four other constables who tested positive were shifted to the COVID hospital, police launched a hunt to track down the absconder. He was traced at Banihal tonight when he was trying to reach Kashmir.
Of five Corona positive constables, one is a head constable who had returned from South Kashmir district of Anantnag, another is a resident of Khoon, Udhampur but had travel history of Srinagar, third one hailed from Jhallas in Poonch, fourth from Jagti Nagrota and fifth from Kashmir.
While first four were admitted in the COVID hospital, the fifth one from the Valley escaped from KB Heritage Banquet Hall at Kot Bhalwal, where he was lodged.
Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Akhnoor Ajay Sharma told the Excelsior that police started a search to track down the absconding constable soon after his escape and succeded in tracing him.
Sources said all five police personnel were posted in Jammu and had returned to duty after availing leave. They were kept under administrative quarantine and sampled during which they tested positive.
A 40-year-old Government teacher hailing from Garhi Nador in Marh block of Jammu district today tested positive for COVID-19. He had gone to Chandigarh for treatment of his wife. The couple was sampled on return during which the man tested positive while his wife reported negative for the virus.
Other positives in Jammu district include a 44-year-old woman from Gandhi Nagar, a 45-year-old man from Bishnah, a 31-year-old youth from Channi Himmat, a 45-year-old woman from Narwal with travel history of New Delhi and a 29-year-old male, whose address is being ascertained. All of them were under administrative quarantine.
District Magistrate Udhampur Dr Piyush Singla said a total of nine persons today tested COVID positive in the district including two pregnant woman, an Indian Reserve Police (IRP) constable and six travelers who had returned to Udhampur from various parts of the country and were uynder administrative quarantine.
The pregnant woman belonged to Barrian and Bant Chenani. The travelers hailed from Majalta, Housing Colony, Ressain, Gordhi and Rathain areas of Udhampur.
An official handout, however, said 10 persons were tested positive in Udhampur district today.
Kathua district reported four Corona cases today including a constable from Police Training School (PTS) Kathua, a woman from Marheen with travel history but was under home quarantine and two other travelers, who had recently returned to the district, Deputy Commissioner OP Bhagat said.
All of them have been shifted to COVID hospitals.
In Lakhanpur, 1250 more persons entered Jammu and Kashmir from different parts of the country during last 24 hours, Bhagat said.
In Doda district, a CRPF jawan hailing from Bhalessa and a civilian of Thathri today reported positive for the virus. Both of them had travel history and were under quarantine.
Kishtwar, Reasi, Rajouri and Samba districts didn’t report any Corona positive cases today.
Poonch district reported just one case of Coronavirus-a middle-aged-man from Jhallas. Ramban district also reported only one Corona case.
The Microbiology Department of the Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu under the command of Dr Shashi S Sudhan, Head of Department, has so far conducted 66280 cases. Of them, 487 have tested positive. Only 15 percent of them were symptomatic while rest were asymptomatic.
Yesterday, the Microbiology Department conducted 1821 Corona tests in a single day.
This is the highest number of tests done on a single day by any laboratory in Jammu region.
Thirty one Corona patients were today treated and discharged from various COVID hospitals in Jammu region including nine in Udhampur, eight each from Jammu and Samba districts and three each in Poonch and Doda district.
As per the official figures, Jammu region now has total 1534 Corona cases. Of them, 442 are active cases and 1081 recoveries. There have been 11 Corona casualties in the region.
Meanwhile, the J&K Government today issued the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for inter-State movement of Pathankot based entrepreneurs running/operating units in Kathua.
“Only two persons per industrial/business unit will be given passes for inter-State movement at Lakhanpur. The Director Industries Jammu will identify persons to be issued passes and will prepare unit wise list of entrepreneurs. The permitted persons will undergo mandatory sampling and health check up on first arrival and therefore at every 15 days at GMC Kathua. They will be sampled for COVID-19 on first entry as well as after every 15 days on payment basis at the rate of Rs 2700,” the SOP said.
It added that the pass holders will not be allowed more than two visits per week.
The pass holders will be allowed to visit only their respective units and the place of stay and no other place for any other social work. Any time on testing positive the pass will be deemed suspended and the person treated as per procedure prescribed for COVID-19 positive persons as per SOP in vogue.
Meanwhile, three more persons today tested positive for Coronavirus in the Union Territory of Ladakh taking tally of Corona cases to 963—262 in Leh and 701 in Kargil.
There are now 376 active cases in Ladakh including 107 in Leh and 269 in Kargil while there have been 586 recoveries-154 in Leh and 432 in Kargil and one Corona casualty.
Of positive cases, 30 have been admitted in COVID hospitals while 315 were in home isolation and 31 in COVID Care Centres.
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