Another IAS officer, 14 yatris test +ve
*GMC-J suspends offline classes
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 7: An ex-MLC today died of COVID-19 while surge in cases continued as Jammu and Kashmir reported 542 fresh cases and Ladakh recorded 21 positives as four more micro-Containment Zones were declared in Jammu district and GMC Jammu suspended offline classes of all MBBS/ BSc/paramedical students with immediate effect.
Choudhary Fateh Mohammad, former two-time MLC of Congress and ex-Chairman of JAKFED died of ailments in the Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu today. He was positive for COVID-19. He was a resident of Gandhi Nagar.
Choudhary Hafizullah, Additional SP and son of Fateh Mohammad said the last rites were performed as per the COVID protocol.
Meanwhile, another senior IAS officer today tested positive for COVID-19. He was found infected for second time as he had tested positive during first wave of the virus also.
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Fourteen pilgrims of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji shrine and eight employees of Trends showroom at Janipura were also found infected today besides nearly a dozen officials in the Government departments. Out of 542 cases, 288 were reported in Jammu division and 254 in Kashmir.
Jammu district registered 176 cases followed by 27 in Reasi, 23 Kathua, 16 Udhampur, 15 Doda, 14 Rajouri, seven Samba, six Poonch and four in Kishtwar. No new case was recorded in Ramban district.
Thirty one persons recovered from the virus leaving number of active positive cases in Jammu region to 1318.
GMC Jammu Principal Dr Shashi Sudhan Sharma today ordered suspension of the offline classes of all MBBS/BSc paramedical students with immediate effect till further orders.
She said the online classes will continue as per routine so that syllabus is completed well in time.
“All exams (Internal/ University) will be conducted as per schedule,” she added.
District Magistrate Jammu Anshul Garg today declared five more locations as micro-Containment Zones.
They include Lane near H No. 102 Sector 2, Vikas Nagar, Lane Near H No. 527 Sharika Peeth Mandir, Subash Nagar, Lane Near H No. 207, Sector 7 near Gurudwara Nanak Nagar and Lane near Talab Market, Police Line near Sharvan Scooter Garage Channi Himmat.
Among 21 COVID-19 cases in the Union Territory of Ladakh, 20 were reported from Leh district and one in Kargil.
Ladakh now has 269 active positive cases—232 in Leh and 37 in Kargil.
The UT Ladakh administration today ordered that visit of general public including employees of other offices to Government offices must be discouraged to the extent possible.
“All Administrative Secretaries/ HoDs and district officers will conduct the meeting on video conferencing to the extent possible,” the order read.
Meanwhile, as there has been surge in the COVID-19 cases in Kashmir with 254 testing positive for the virus today, Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Medical Education Department, Vivek Bharadwaj, today e-inaugurated 3 RT-PCR labs for the Kashmir division to speed up testing.
The RTPCR labs have been e-inaugurated for three district hospitals which include JLNM Hospital Srinagar, DH Ganderbal and DH Pulwama.
While e-inaugurating the three labs, he said that the three labs will go a long way for the COVID-19 management and the mitigation of the virus.
“Initially the labs can conduct 200 RTPCR tests per day which can be increased later on. However, in a pool run, the maximum number of tests can be 500 per day in each lab,” he said.
Those who tested positive include 137 from Srinagar, 48 from Baramulla, 20 from Budgam, 2 from Pulwama, 17 from Kupwara, 5 from Anantnag, 3 from Bandipora, 4 from Ganderbal and 18 from Kulgam.
The total number of cases in Kashmir division has reached 215,975 including 212,469 recoveries and 2,332 deaths.
The number of active cases in Jammu and Kashmir are 2,492 including 1,174 from Kashmir division.
With 98 more recoveries, the tally of total recoveries in Jammu and Kashmir has reached 336,284 which is 97.95 percent of the total cases.
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