34 JKBL, 17 NIA officials, 37 more Healthcare workers test +ve
*Director AIIMS, JKPS officer, 4 from Crime Branch infected
*71 skiing students, DDHSK, CMO Srinagar positive
*Curbs imposed in Leh as cases surge
Sanjeev Pargal/
Fayaz Bukhari
JAMMU/SRINAGAR, Jan 13: Five persons died of COVID-19 as fresh cases inched close to 2000 in J&K while 10 new Omicron cases, all international travellers and their contact, were reported from Jammu taking total number of cases in the region to 18.
Two COVID casualties and 889 cases were reported from Jammu division while three fatalities and 1077 cases were registered in Kashmir.
Click here to watch video
Among 10 cases of Omicron, eight were residents of Canal Road and two from other parts of the City. The Canal Road residents and another Omicron positive were international travellers from the United States while 10th case was their contact.
Nine of them are still admitted in the DRDO Hospital Canal Road while another person is in home isolation. Six of them were women and four men.
However, doctors told the Excelsior that all 10 new Omicron positives are in stable condition and were admitted in the DRDO hospital only because of the guidelines for international travellers.
Ten new cases have taken total number of Omicron cases in the Jammu region to 18.
A 60-year-old fully vaccinated man from village Mule Chak in RS Pura tehsil of Jammu district and 72-year-old unvaccinated man from Udhampur died of COVID-19 and co-morbidities in the Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu. Two deaths have taken COVID toll in Jammu division to 2213, Jammu district to 1166 and Udhampur district to 140. Casualties in other districts include 240 Rajouri, 153 Kathua, 138 Doda, 120 Samba, 102 Poonch, 67 Ramban, 44 Kishtwar and 43 in Reasi district.
Thirty four officials of Jammu and Kashmir Bank’s Panama Chowk Zonal Office have tested positive for COVID-19 in RTPCR testing.
Seventeen officials of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in their Trikuta Nagar office have also been found infected,
Thirty seven more Healthcare workers including doctors and Nurses have reported positive for the virus. Director All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Jammu Dr Shakti Gupta has also tested positive for the viral infection.
Five officials from the Funds Office, four from Crime Branch Jammu, five family members of a prominent business house and a Jammu and Kashmir Police Services (JKPS) officer today tested positive for Coronavirus.
Thirty one more pilgrims of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji shrine were found infected on their arrival at Katra Railway Station today.
Three Bank officials and one SSB jawan tested positive in Mendhar today, BMO Dr Parvaiz Ahmad Khan said.
Among 889 COVID positive cases in Jammu region today, nearly half i.e. 434 were reported from Jammu district followed by 136 in Udhampur, 107 Reasi, 55 Rajouri, 49 Kathua, 36 Samba, 26 Poonch, 21 Doda, 19 Kishtwar and six in Ramban district.
With 153 recoveries, number of active positive cases in Jammu division stood at 4082.
Meanwhile, District Magistrate Udhampur Indu Chib has declared part of Kud market area as micro-Containment Zone.
The Union Territory of Ladakh today reported 122 COVID positive cases including 111 in Leh and 11 in Kargil district. Active positive cases in Ladakh now stood at 502—468 in Leh district and 34 in Kargil.
Meanwhile, District Magistrate Leh Shrikant Balasaheb Suse today ordered that all Government/private schools as well as residential hostels/schools shall continue to remain closed for in-person/on-site classes while bars, restaurants and dhabas will operate with 25 percent of the seating capacity with strict adherence to COVID Appropriate Behaviour.
“Dine-in services in the hotels shall be allowed with 25 percent of capacity. Gymnasiums, sports clubs, fitness centers, snooker centres and other indoor activities will remain closed while there will be night curfew in entire Leh district from 9 pm to 5 am,” the order said and added that public transport will ply with half of the seating capacity.
As per the order, maximum number of people permitted to attend any indoor/outdoor gathering will be restricted to 20 or 50 percent of capacity whichever is less.
“All district and subordinate offices shall minimise conducting in-person meetings and ensure optimal use of virtual mode for official meetings, conference etc,” the order said.
Restrictions in Leh were imposed due to surge in COVID positive cases.
Meanwhile, 71 people including 68 students who were doing skiing course at Gulmarg with the Youth Services and Sports, one dozen health officials including Deputy Director Health Services Kashmir and Chief Medical Officer Srinagar are among 1077 persons who tested positive for COVID-19 in Kashmir while three infected persons who were admitted to hospitals in Srinagar with morbidity died today.
Nodal Officer Directorate of Health Services, Dr Mir Mushtaq, told Excelsior that 71 people tested positive for COVID-19 in Gulmarg. He said 68 among them were doing skiing at Gulmarg with Youth Services and Sports.
He further said that Deputy Director Health Services Kashmir and Chief Medical Officer Srinagar, a senior doctor a District Hospital Pulwama and five Medical Officer and equal numbers of para-medics at Community Health Centre Chattergam in district Budgam tested positive for the COVID today.
The president of the Winter Games Association Jammu and Kashmir, Abbas Wani said here that all the competitions of Alpine, snowboard and Nordic events for junior and senior boys and girls for North, South and Central districts, which were scheduled to be held at Gulmarg and Pahalgam on 17,18 and 20th of January 2022 have been postponed due to COVID.
“Selection trials of same events for senior and junior men and women categories scheduled to be held on 28, 29 and 30th January 2022 at Gulmarg, are also postponed and the new dates for the same shall be published separately”, he said.
Director Srinagar Airport, Kuldeep Singh requested the passengers to maintain social distance at the airport and also wear mask at all times. “We follow the rule of No Mask No Entry. There is a fine of Rs 500 if any passengers remove their mask and time of entry to the airport is maximum 3 hours before flight departure”, he said.
“This is necessary to control the congestion at the airport because we want to reduce the chance of infection”, he added.
Divisional Commissioner, P K Pole, today urged people to avoid visiting hospital for general ailments stating that hospitals and its premises are major source of infections.
He said that patients in need of non-Covid health treatment should avoid visiting hospitals and instead seek online consultations from doctors. “This is advised because of the fact that hospitals are major source of infections and where people assemble in large numbers,” Pole said.
“But those in need of emergency support and with Covid and Omicron symptoms must report to hospitals after proper testing,” he said.
The Divisional Commissioner said that it is not like OPDs will be closed but people should themselves avoid visiting OPDs for general line ailments and leave OPDs for emergency services only.
And Kashmir today reported 1077 cases of COVID-19 positive cases.
Those who tested positive include 416 from Srinagar, 311 from Baramulla, 159 from Budgam, 12 from Pulwama, 26 from Kupwara, 39 from Anantnag, 53 from Bandipora, 7 from Ganderbal, 52 from Kulgam and 2 Shopian.
The number of cases in Kashmir division has reached 219,317 including 213,128 recoveries and 2,339 deaths.
The number of active cases in Jammu and Kashmir are 7,932 including 3,850 from Kashmir division.
With 271 more recoveries, the tally of total recoveries in Jammu and Kashmir has reached 337,412 which is 96.43 percent of the total cases.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
