Srinagar/Jammu: Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday announced closure of all parks and gardens in Srinagar till further orders even as a person who had recently travelled to Saudi Arabia has been put in isolation on suspicion of having contracted the coronavirus.
“All parks and gardens in #Srinagar will remain closed till further notice. Cooperation of people in implementing precautionary measures is appreciated,” Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Shahid Iqbal Chaudhary said in a tweet.
The decision is part of preventive measures for ensuring that there is no outbreak of coronavirus pandemic in the Valley.
The authorities have already shut down schools and other educational institutions in the union territory. Clubs and public gymnasiums have also been shut as precautionary measures.
Meanwhile, government spokesman Rohit Kansal in a late night tweet said another case of a suspect with high viral load has been reported.
“One more case with history of travel to Saudi Arabia reported high viral load; kept in isolation. Confirmation awaited,” he said.
There have been two confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Jammu region so far, while test reports of nine persons are still awaited.
Meanwhile, as part of efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus, the Udhampur district authorities in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday ordered immediate closure of all hotels till March 31 at the popular Patnitop hill resort.
District Magistrate Piyush Singla asked the Hotel Management Authorities of Patnitop to ensure compliance of the directive in “letter and spirit”.
He said the decision to close down all hotels falling within the jurisdiction of Patnitop Development Authority was taken as a preventive measure in view of the threat posed by the pandemic.
Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) intensified thermal fogging and sanitisation drive in the city to counter the threat of COVID-19 infection.
The thermal fogging and sanitization drive was launched last week in close coordination with the health department and was intensified with the induction of more teams to cover the entire city within shortest possible time, a civic official said.
176 persons complete surveillance period
JAMMU, MARCH 16: The Government Monday informed that 176 persons have completed their 28-day surveillance period and, so far, only two cases have been tested positive in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the daily Media Bulletin on novel coronavirus (COVID-19), 2478 travellers and persons in contact with suspected cases have been put under surveillance while as 2095 persons are under home quarantine.
Persons who are in hospital quarantine stand at 29 and 178 persons are under home surveillance.
Further, the Bulletin said that 106 samples have been sent for testing, of which 98 tested as negative and only two cases have tested positive, so far while as reports of six cases are awaited till March 16, 2020.
According to the media bulletin, the person who has returned from Novel Corona Virus (Covid-19) affected countries or have been in contact with a person suspected / confirmed with Covid-19 disease, should stay at home and isolate himself from family members for 14 days. According to the media bulletin, people should wash hands frequently with soap and water or hand sanitizer after sneezing, coughing, touching surfaces, before meals and after using toilets. Furthermore, people should cover their mouth with handkerchief/tissue paper while coughing and sneezing, and throw tissue in the dustbin after using it, the Bulletin reads.
The Media Bulletin has advised people to avoid touching ones eyes, nose and mouth, use surgical mask if one develop cough, fever or breathing difficulty and immediately contact the doctor. People have been advised not to attend large public gatherings.
Media Bulletin has advised people not to panic and take care of their health and protect others. It has advised to maintain social distancing, avoid un-necessary travel & use of public transport; avoid crowded places and large gatherings, not to spit in public.
People have been urged to rely only on the information released by the government in this regard through the daily media bulletin to print & electronic media.
Functioning in both wings of High Court restricted to urgent matters
JAMMU, MARCH 16: With a view to prevent spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Monday issued a circular restricting the functioning in both of its Jammu and Srinagar wings to urgent matters only.
According to the circular, functioning in both the wings of the High Court from March 16, 2020 to March 31, 2020 shall be restricted to urgent matters.
The Advocates, litigants and parties in person shall mention their matter(s) by providing number and stage of the matter(s) on daily board, showing the urgency before the concerned Registrar Judicial through e-mail (Registrar Judicial Jammu: soniagupta265@gmail.com, Registrar Judicial Srinagar: massarat.shaheen@gmail.com) by 3 pm of the previous day and upon satisfaction about the urgency, the Court may hear such matter(s), the circular reads.
In all other listed matters dates would be given by the Bench Secretaries and dates in such matters shall be communicated through e-Courts platform.
The Bar Associations and the Advocates shall make sure that entry of the litigants in the Court shall be restricted to the cases where the presence is unavoidable and in such cases only one person may be called. The Bar Associations of both the wings of the High Court shall ensure that there shall be no crowding in the Court complex including the lawyers’ chambers. They shall also defer all their public functions involving gathering.
It also says that the Advocates shall advise their clients not to visit the Court unless their presence is directed by the Court or is unavoidable.
Registrar Judicial of both the wings of the High Court shall ensure sanitization of the complexes and availability of sanitizers in Court rooms and all other Sections of the Registry for the staff, and at some conspicuous places in the complexes for the Advocates and visitors.
Besides thermal screening of the visitors to the Court complexes shall be ensured through the officials of the Health Department posted in the respective Wings of the High Court.
While as all official functions involving gathering shall stand deferred and Canteens and the Bar rooms will not remain operational till further orders.
Considering the importance of the safety measures for health, all concerned shall cooperate with the instructions of the staff on duty, in the interest of all, the circular adds.
Fourth batch of Indians evacuated from Iran
New Delhi/Jaisalmer, Mar 16 (PTI) An Air India flight with 53 Indians evacuated from coronavirus-hit Iran landed in New Delhi on Monday and the passengers were flown to Jaisalmer where they have been quarantined at the Army Wellness Centre.
This is the fourth batch of Indians to be evacuated from Iran, taking the total number of people brought back from the coronavirus-hit country to 389.
On Sunday, over 230 Indians were brought back from Iran and quarantined at the Indian Army Wellness Centre in Jaisalmer.
“Fourth batch of 53 Indians – 52 students and a teacher – has arrived from Tehran and Shiraz, Iran. With this, a total of 389 Indians have returned to India from Iran. Thank the efforts of the team @India_in_Iran and Iranian authorities,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tweeted.
The Indians came in a Mahan Air flight that landed at the Delhi airport at around 3 am, officials said, adding, that they were later taken to Jaisalmer in an Air India flight and quarantined.
Defence spokesperson Col Sombit Ghosh said, “Preliminary screening of the persons was undertaken at the airport upon arrival. Thereafter, they were moved to the Army Wellness Centre at Jaisalmer.”
The first batch of 58 Indian pilgrims were brought back from Iran last Tuesday and the second group of 44 Indian pilgrim arrived from there on Friday.
Iran is one of the worst-affected countries by the coronavirus outbreak and the government has been working to bring back Indians stranded there. Over 700 people have died from the disease in Iran and nearly 14,000 cases have been detected.
Jaishankar had told Rajya Sabha last week that the government was focusing on evacuating Indians stranded in Iran and Italy as these countries are facing an “extreme situation”.
