Six die of COVID, 1516 test +ve; Jammu surpasses Kashmir in cases

A man being tested for COVID-19 at City Chowk Jammu on Monday. -Excelsior/Rakesh
A man being tested for COVID-19 at City Chowk Jammu on Monday. -Excelsior/Rakesh

Many trainees, Instructors infected in Kashmir ITIs
*Leh bans outside labourers’ entry without RT-PCR -ve report
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU/SRINAGAR/ LEH, Apr 19: A massive surge of 451 COVID positive cases in Jammu district saw Jammu region overtaking Kashmir division recording 768 positives as against 748 of Kashmir valley while the Union Territory reported six more casualties today. The district administration Jammu has declared five localities as micro-Containment Zones under Section 144 following spike in the cases while authorities in Leh today ordered that only those labourers with RT-PCR negative report not older than 96 hours will be allowed to enter Leh.
Not only in the Jammu region but Jammu district’s 451 COVID positive cases today were highest in entire Jammu and Kashmir, the second highest being 383 in Srinagar.
Click here to watch video
Jammu region recorded 768 cases and two COVID fatalities today.
A 67-year-old man from Sector 11 in Nanak Nagar area of Jammu district, who was co-morbid and positive for the virus, died in the CMC Ludhiana today. The second COVID casualty was reported from Samba district.
With two fatalities today, Jammu region’s Corona toll has reached 766, the highest being 401 in Jammu district followed by 64 Doda, 58 Udhampur, 56 Rajouri, 53 Kathua, 44 Samba, 29 Poonch, 23 Ramban, 22 Kishtwar and 16 in Reasi district.
As many as 87 tourists/cum-travelers tested positive for the virus at Lakhanpur, the gateway to Jammu and Kashmir, in Kathua district today. They include 20 from Uttar Pradesh, 12 Punjab, nine Haryana, three each Rajasthan and New Delhi, two each Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Jharkhand and one each, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Mauritius. Thirty one positives belonged to J&K.
Among 102 infected in Reasi district, 79 were tourist/travelers, who were subjected to testing at Katra Railway Station and other places.
Positive cases in other districts include 81 Udhampur, 38 Kathua, 34 Rajouri, 33 Samba, 13 Ramban, eight Doda and four each in Kishtwar and Poonch districts.
A female Gynecologist posted in the Government Medical College (GMC) Rajouri tested positive for COVID-19 today.
As many as 207 persons recovered from the virus, the highest being 83 in Jammu district, 58 Kathua, 33 Samba, 17 Udhampur, six Rajouri, five Kishtwar, four Poonch and one in Doda district.
Jammu region now has 59352 Coronavirus cases. Number of active cases has gone up to 4813 while 53773 persons have recovered from the virus and there have been 766 casualties.
Meanwhile, District Magistrate Jammu Anshul Garg today declared five localities in Jammu as micro-Containment Zones after COVID positive cases were reported from there.
The Containment Zones include Daal Wali Gali Kanak Mandi, Vikas Colony Muthi, Suraksha Vihar Paloura, Khoo Wali Gali and Adrash Enclave Trikuta Nagar.
The Union Territory of Ladakh today reported 60 COVID positive cases, 50 of them in Leh and 10 in Kargil district.
Fresh cases have taken the UT’s Corona count to 12131 and active cases to 1647 as there have been 10351 recoveries and 133 fatalities-89 in Leh and 44 in Kargil.
The Labour Department Leh today ordered that only those labourers will be allowed to enter Leh who come with RT-PCR negative report not older than 96 hours.
“Other labourers will be turned back from Leh at the const of contractor/mate/employers from the points of entry at Upshi and KBR Airport. Only labourers with e negative COVIDF report would be allowed to work in Leh,” the Labour Department order said.
Number of COVID cases in Ladakh has increased during past few days due to arrival of tourists and labourers.
Meanwhile, Kashmir today reported 748 fresh cases of COVID-19 while four persons succumbed to the infection.
Four COVID-19 positive persons who were admitted to various hospitals died today taking the J&K death toll of Coronavirus patients to 2063.
The victims include 65-year-old man from New Market, Mattan in district Anantnag, 75-year-old man Ashpora in district Kupwara, 60-year-old man from Dadsara in district Pulwama and 43-year-old woman from Fateh Kadal area of Srinagar.
Those who tested positive include 383 from Srinagar, 110 Baramulla, 46 Budgam, 29 Pulwama, 36 Kupwara, 48 Anantnag, 14 Bandipora, 31 Ganderbal, 47 Kulgam and four from Shopian.
The positives include trainees and instructors at various Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) of Kashmir.
In ITI Baghi Ali Mardan Khan, Srinagar 2 trainees and 3 instructors tested positive after samples were taken on Saturday. In ITI Budgam, 2 trainees tested positive, in Handwara 2 instructors, in Sopore ITI 2 staffers and in ITI Kupwara one instructor tested positive. The authorities have not ordered closure of these training centres despite Government closing down all educational institutions across J&K. However, ITI Tral was temporarily closed last week after 3 trainees and 4 instructors tested positive.
Authorities in Baramulla closed the J&K Bank Singpora Branch after an employee tested positive for COVID-19. An official said that the branch was temporarily closed for the safety of customers.
The number of cases in Kashmir division has reached 88,856 including 80,208 recoveries and 1,297 deaths.
The number of active cases in Jammu and Kashmir are 12,164 including 7,351 from Kashmir division
With 813 more recoveries, the tally of total recoveries in Jammu and Kashmir has reached 133,981, which is 90.40 percent of the total cases.
Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar Aijaz Asad today said that there is no question of imposition of lockdown in district Srinagar yet despite spike in the COVID-19 cases and administration is monitoring the situation.
Aijaz was talking to the reporters on the sidelines of inspecting the adherence to the COVID SOPs by the public particularly in the public transport in Lal Chowk area.
“We have not so far received any direction regarding the imposition of lockdown given the spike in COVID-19 cases. Whenever lockdown decision is taken, we, as an implementing agency will take necessary measures,” he said.
During his field visit along with other top police officers, he checked the violations of COVID 19 protocol in public transport. “We have launched a drive to ensure that the directions issued by the State Executive Committee (SEC) are followed in letter and spirit,” he said.
When asked about the availability of oxygen and the beds in the hospitals in Srinagar, he said that there was no shortage of oxygen supply. “In this regard, on the directions of the LG, the administration is setting up more oxygen plants and they would be made functional shortly,” he said.
He also said that the beds are amply available at the COVID designated centres established last year by the administration. He was out along with other top police officers during a drive that was launched against the transporters violating the COVID-19 norms.