Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir State Executive Committee on Tuesday put Srinagar district in the orange category in view of the rising number of COVID positive cases.
According to an order issued by Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyam, who is also the chairperson of the SEC, Srinagar district has been put in orange category while the areas on either side of Jawahar Tunnel — the gateway to Kashmir — has been placed in red zone. Lakhanpur containment area has also been categorised in red zone with a buffer of 500 metre radius.
The rest of the areas in the Union territory continue to be in the green zone as far as permitted activities are concerned.
Srinagar has been the worst affected district of Jammu and Kashmir by the COVID pandemic, recording 471 deaths and over 28,000 positive cases.
The district has the highest number of active cases as on date at 985. The UT has nearly 2,300 active cases.
Srinagar district has recorded the highest number of cases among the 20 districts of the UT on a daily basis for most of last year, with Jammu city overtaking the summer capital occasionally.
The recent spike in positive cases has coincided with increasing number of tourist arrivals.
As Covid Upticks In Srinagar, Admin To Disallow Big Gatherings
As the COVID cases resurge in J&K especially in Srinagar, the administration has decided not to allow any programmes like the Badamwari festival to prevent the spread of the virus.
Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Syed Abdul Hanief Balkhi said that as of now, the administration has not considered another phase of lockdown or new guidelines for the holy month of Ramadan.
“Everything will be as it is, but, we are taking measures to ensure that events like Badamwari will not take place to prevent the virus from spreading,” Balkhi said, according to news agency KNO.
“People should avoid participating in any event where large gathering could be witnessed. As the pandemic still exists, there is a need to follow Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for our safety, even if the administration will not act tough,” he said.
Balkhi said that people should come forward to help the administration in combating the virus by following set guidelines and SOPs, adding that imposing curbs will not bear fruit until and unless the people will not act responsibly and follow the preventive measures in letter and spirit.
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
| ACT NOW |
| MONTHLY | Rs 100 |  |
| YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
| LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |
