After J&K, Ladakh extends Covid lockdown till May 24

Leh, May 16

The lockdown imposed in Ladakh to contain the Covid spread has been extended by another week till May 24, a day after J&K made a similar announcement.

The extension of the lockdown, which was scheduled to end on May 17, was ordered by the district magistrates of Leh and Kargil in separate orders, officials said.

As of Sunday, Ladakh’s Covid tally stands at 16,333 and the death toll is 165.

In his order, Leh District Magistrate Shrikant Balasaheb Suse said the extension of restrictions, which are already in place, was meant to avoid the further spread of the infection.

“… restrictions imposed on all kind of movements/activities across Leh district shall be extended from May 17 (5 am) and shall remain in force till May 24 (7 am),” he stated

All shops selling groceries, vegetable and fruit, chicken, milk, dairy products, automobile spare parts, confectionery items and tyre repair shops would be allowed to open from 7 am to 2 pm. The supply and distribution of essential commodities by wholesale distributors would be allowed between 5 am and 9 am and their movement will be allowed on the production of a valid trade license or registration certificate, the order stated.

All government employees, staff of public sector undertakings, autonomous bodies, universities and other such offices would be allowed to commute to and from their workplace on the production of a valid identity card and duty roster issued by the concerned heads of departments.

The order stated that developmental activities and construction work would be allowed only when the labourers are present at the site and adequate facilities for their stay are available at the worksite. Similarly, agricultural activities would be allowed with strict observance of standard operating procedure, it said.

In a separate order, Kargil District Magistrate Santosh Sukhadeve said a detailed review of the current Covid situation was conducted by the District Disaster Management Authority. The administration is of the view that stringent containment measures are required at a macro level in order to restrict the movement and intermingling of people. The restrictions would be extended till 7 am on May 24 and there would be no curbs on activities that are already allowed, he said. — PTI

School head, deputy booked for virus-related death

• Sister Hema and Sister Leema, Principal and Vice Principal of St Mary’s Presentation Convent Secondary School, have been booked after a music teacher died of Covid.
• They have been charged with lockdown violation on the complaint of colleagues and kin of the deceased as they called teachers to school for online classes.
• Meanwhile, ex-legislator Gagan Bhagat has sought an FIR against J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina for visiting a health centre, violating lockdown.