Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday recorded 655 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking its tally to 35,135, while 14 more fatalities pushed the union territory’s toll to 671, officials said.
“Fourteen people infected with coronavirus, including a former MLC, have died in Jammu and Kashmir in the past 24 hours till 5.00 pm on Thursday,” they said.
However, unconfirmed reports said that the death toll has already crossed 675 as the official communiqué was issued at 5 pm on Thursday and some fresh deaths from some hospitals were reported after that.
While 11 deaths were reported from Kashmir, three people including the former MLC and Congress leader Chuni Lal died in Jammu. The death toll in the union territory has now reached 671, the officials said.
A total of 655 fresh COVID-19 cases were reported in the union territory. With this, the infection count in Jammu and Kashmir has risen to 35,135, they said.
Among the fresh cases, 497 were from Kashmir and 158 from Jammu, they added.
Srinagar district reported the highest number of fresh cases at 182, followed by 87 in Jammu district.
There are 7,743 active cases of COVID-19 in Jammu and Kashmir, while 26,721 patients have recovered so far, according to the officials.
In the past 24 hours, they said 528 more COVID-19 patients have recovered and were discharged from various hospitals— 89 from Jammu and 439 from Kashmir.
Meanwhile, authorities in Samba on Thursday announced a five-day lockdown in the district to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The lockdown from August 28 to September 01 midnight was ordered by Samba District Magistrate Rohit Khajuria, officials said.
Quoting an order issued by Khajuria, the officials said the step was taken in view of the spurt in COVID-19 cases.
However, the essential services like clinics, chemist shops and testing laboratories would function from 9 am to 8 pm during the lockdown days, while grocery shops, fruit and vegetables shops would be allowed to open from 7 am to 12 noon, the officials said.
They said retail and wholesale licensed shops of pesticides, fungicides and fertilizers, ration shops, LPG agencies and animal fodder shops would operate from 9 am to 1 pm.
Operations in the industrial area and movement of labour or staff of industries and government employees will remain unhindered, the officials said.
Meanwhile, the government on Thursday directed all private medical establishments to report all COVID positive and suspected cases of novel coronavirus to the Health department.
In exercise of the powers conferred by section 2 of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 (3 of 1897), the J&K government, on the orders of Lieutenant Governor, today directed the private clinics and nursing homes in Jammu and Kashmir to report all cases found positive of COVID-19 and also cases suffering from Severe Acute Respiratory Infection(SARI)/Influenza Like Illness (ILI) or having radiological findings suggestive of COVID-19 infection for COVID-19 testing forthwith to the Director Health Services Kashmir/Jammu concerned, or concerned Chief Medical Officers, an official press release informed.
It said non-compliance of this direction by the said institutions shall attract proceedings under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860).
