Public transport suspended in Jammu, surgeries postponed
*Operation of AN-32, IL-76/C-17, Pawan Hans ceased in Ladakh
Govind Sharma
JAMMU, Mar 20: Two more persons have tested positive for Coronavirus in Ladakh, taking the number of such patients in the Union Territory to 10 whereas no fresh case was reported in the UT of J&K but as a precautionary measure authorities in Jammu where 3 persons have been tested positive till date, today ordered suspension of all modes of public transport while as UT administration has exempted all the teachers from attending duties till further orders.
As a precautionary measure in view of spread of COVID-19 virus, the authorities of Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Jammu has also decided to postpone all elective surgeries at GMCH and its Associated Hospitals from tomorrow and to start telephonic consultation to general public suffering from minor diseases to avoid overcrowding in the hospitals
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Addressing media persons today, Commissioner Secretary (Health), Ladakh UT, Rigzin Samphel said two more persons have tested positive in Ladakh, taking the number of COVID-19 patients in the Union Territory to 10. He informed that both the latest cases were from Choshot village of Leh, which has already been notified as a containment area by the district administration.
“After the reports of the two patients came positive, they were immediately shifted to an isolation ward in a hospital here by health officials,” Samphel told reporters. He said reports of as many as 48 samples were received on Thursday evening out of which 46 samples (30 from Kargil and 16 from Leh) were found to be negative.
He said the test reports of 55 more patients, including 11 taken today, were sent to a laboratory in Delhi. The condition of all the Coronavirus patients in the Union Territory was stable, he added.
Responding to a question on the Government’s decision to shut an SBI branch in Leh, Samphel said it was part of the preventive steps being taken to control the spread of Coronavirus.
Elaborating further, he said, “A family member of a Health department official (who had tested positive for Coronavirus earlier) is working in a local branch of the SBI. Though an earlier sample of the bank employee was found negative, we are sending his fresh sample for testing again, as the latest cases are also from the same family. Once the test report comes, the bank will be reopened”, Samphel said.
Meanwhile, Ladakh administration has asked commercial airlines not to carry any passengers, except locals, civilian officers and security personnel, to Leh due to the Novel Coronavirus pandemic.
“No commercial flights landing at the KBR airport in Leh should carry passengers to Leh, other than the residents of Ladakh, civilian officers and officers of uniformed forces serving in Ladakh or on duty to Ladakh till further orders,” said an order issued by Secretary/ Divisional Commissioner Ladakh Saugat Biswas.
Issuing another order, Biswas suspended operation of AN-32 (Kargil Courier Service), IL-76/C-17 and Pawan Hans Heli services for passenger movement in Ladakh till April 15.
Meanwhile, an official spokesperson said the Indian Air Force’s publicity programme and recruitment rally, which were planned in the Union Territory, were postponed till further orders.
“Fresh dates for the conduct of the Indian Air Force recruitment rally at Leh and the publicity campaign in the Ladakh region will be communicated as and when finalized and approved by the Central Airmen Selection Board (CASB), New Delhi,” he said.
As out of the four cases that have been reported positive till date in J&K, 3 are from Jammu alone, authorities in Jammu today ordered suspension of all modes of public transport, including buses and mini-buses with immediate effect till further orders.
Issuing an order under the National Disaster Management Act, District Magistrate Jammu Sushma Chauhan said all modes of mass public transport would cease to ply with immediate effect till further orders, except for State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) buses.
“The SRTC buses would only ply on designated routes for the convenience of Government employees (on production of Identity cards) and travellers in emergency,” she said. However, she said auto-rickshaws or taxis are permitted to operate and ply with not more than three persons on board. Any violation of the directions will lead to prosecution under section 51 of the DM Act, Chauhan added.
Various districts of Jammu region have already suspended public transport, while shops and business establishments except those dealing with essential commodities like groceries and medicines were closed yesterday. The main markets in Jammu wore a deserted look today with people preferring to stay at home, thus giving an impression of virtual lockdown in Jammu.
As academic work in all educational institutions has already been suspended till March 31 to prevent spread of Coronavirus, J&K authorities, in a big relief to school teachers, directed them to stay at home till further orders.
“No school teacher to attend duties at schools as class work (is) suspended,” an order issued by Principal Secretary to Government, Department of Education, Asghar Samoon, reads. However, Headmasters, Zonal Education Officers, Chief Education Officers and Engineers involved in works and centrally sponsored schemes were asked to report for work but at the same time advised to maintain social distance.
In view of Coronavirus threat, GMCH authorities have decided to postpone all the elective surgeries in the main and associated hospitals. “In pursuant to existing COVID-19 situation and to prevent the spread of Coronavirus and in order to curtail the flow of attendants and patients, all the elective surgeries at GMCH & Associated Hospitals are being postponed from March 21 till further orders,” read an order issued by Principal and Dean, GMCH Jammu, Dr Sunanda Raina.
Dr Raina also issued an order directing all HoDs and Section Heads to avoid correspondence by routine means and instead use e-mail method. However, she said that the routine means will be used for correspondence of confidential/legal/account/planning/purchase/urgent matters. Further, all HoDs and Section Heads were asked to provide/create official e-mail for their Section so that e-mail repository be created for all official correspondences.
The GMCH Principal also appealed all HoDs/Faculty Members/Residents/Postgraduates/Doctors from clinical/non-clinical site to provide their telephone numbers to her office for voluntary telephonic consultation of general public for minor disease elements only to discourage overcrowding in GMCH & Associated Hospitals and for safety of their, general masses and the working doctors.
Meanwhile, J&K Government today informed that 3330 travellers and persons in contact with suspected cases have been enlisted for observation and, so far, only four cases have tested positive in Jammu and Kashmir. 2465 persons have been kept under home quarantine and 44 are in hospital quarantine while 416 persons are under home surveillance and 405 have completed their 28-day surveillance period.
“186 samples have been sent for testing of which 178 tested as negative and only four cases have tested positive, so far while as four reports are awaited,” it further informed.
Meanwhile official sources told Excelsior that in Jammu, 4 quarantine facilities have been established at different locations including Yatri Niwas, Bhagwati Nagar, where about 77 people who came in contact with Coronavirus positive patients and also those with symptoms of Coronavirus have been quarantined against the capacity of about 500 people.
“Besides, quarantined facilities have been established at NHPC Guest House on Railway Road (with capacity of 30 beds), Teacher’s Bhawan Gandhi Nagar (40 beds) and Government Hospitals, Gandhi Nagar (13 beds) and Sarwal (5 beds),” sources said, adding while 29 people have been quarantined at NHPC Guest House, about 25 are quarantined at Teacher’s Bhawan and five are at Government Hospital, Gandhi Nagar. Nobody is at present quarantined at Government Hospital Sarwal, they added.
They further informed that three COVID-19 positive patients are being quarantined at Isolation Ward of GMCH Jammu and their condition is stable.
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