Srinagar: Amid the looming threat of a third coronavirus wave emerging from this capital city, the district administration on Saturday warned of strict action against the people violating the Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) and guidelines even as the daily positive cases continue to shoot up.
The sudden spike in daily cases prompted the Deputy Commissioner (DC) Srinagar, Mohammad Aijaz Asad to conduct a surprise inspection of various marketplaces of the city and to get firsthand account of implementation of Covid-19 related SOPs in markets to prevent further spread of infection in the district.
During the visit, Asad, who is also the Chairman District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) inspected various marketplaces here, including Polo-View, Residency Road, Regal Chowk, Abi Guzar, Ghanta Ghar, Court Road, Amira Kadal, Hari Singh High Street, Jehangir Chowk, an official spokesperson said.
The inspection, he said, was carried out to take stock of implementation of various Covid-19 related advisories and guidelines particularly use of face masks at business establishments and by transporters and passengers.
He said that a fine of Rs 40,000 was imposed on the violators of Covid-19 guidelines during the inspection while rapid tests of over 100 people without masks, including shopkeepers, transporters, passengers and pedestrians were also conducted.
According to the official spokesperson, the DC directed the concerned surveillance squads to ensure effective monitoring and adherence to Covid-19 SOPs by the people and initiating strict legal action against the violators for public safety.
“He said due to active support and cooperation of all stakeholders/General Public including Traders of Srinagar City, the District Administration was able to defeat the first and second wave of the Pandemic in the District,” he said.
Asad, as per the official spokesperson said that the administration was mulling for localised lockdown in some specific areas of City, if the number of positive cases do not decrease.
“He further said that Srinagar has witnessed a spike in Covid cases in the past one week, prompting the administration to declare some areas in the City as Containment Zones,” he said.
“The DC said out of total active Covid-19 positive cases in J&K, about half of them come from Srinagar district only. He further said if people don’t follow Covid-19 Safety Protocols, then Srinagar could be the reason behind the start of the third wave in J&K,” he added.
Asad, the official spokesperson said, appealed to traders and transporters to cooperate with District Administration and strictly follow Covid SOPs, guidelines and precautions so that the Covid-19 infection rate may be significantly reduced.
Earlier, speaking to journalists, the DC said that from last few days, Covid-19 cases in Srinagar have shown a sharp increase.
“Next two weeks are very critical for us as this period would decide if cases increase or decrease. If we start care from today, definitely cases would reduce,” he said.
151 New Corona Cases, 79 From Srinagar
The daily coronavirus cases continue to show a rapid spike in Jammu and Kashmir as 151 more people tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday, even as no fresh fatality was reported across the Union Territory during the last 24 hours.
According to officials, 135 new cases of coronavirus were reported from Kashmir and the remaining 16 from Jammu division, taking the total number of people infected by virus so far to 332911.
In the Valley, officials said, Srinagar registered record 79 new cases of Covid-19, Baramulla 14, Budgam 12, Ganderbal 10, Bandipora 9, Kupwara 7, Anantnag 3 and Pulwama 1. The twin districts of Kulgam and Shopian in south Kashmir reported no new cases.
In the winter capital, officials said, Jammu reported 5 new cases, Reasi 4, Doda and Poonch three each and Rajouri 1 new case. No cases were detected in the five districts of Udhampur, Kathua, Samba, Kishtwar and Ramban.
“Moreover, 69 more COVID-19 patients have recovered and been discharged from various hospitals including 16from Jammu Division and 53 from Kashmir Division,” the officials said.
Also, the officials said that the death roll remained 4440—2177 in Jammu and 2263 in Kashmir, as no coronavirus related fatality was reported on Saturday.
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