Six fresh cases, all from Valley

Tribune News Service

JAMMU, MARCH 31

The J&K Government on Tuesday said six new positive cases of coronavirus, all from Kashmir division and contacts of previous positive cases, had been reported, thus taking the total number of positive cases in Jammu and Kashmir UT to 55.

Officials said most of the cases, including a mother-son duo, who tested positive today belong to Srinagar. All of them have contracted the virus from family members and relatives, who had travel history outside J&K.

Meanwhile, under pressure from public health experts for not following protocol and wasting space of hotels for asymptomatic persons, the Kashmir administration has shifted 78 people from hotels to home today and is going to continue with another batch of 220 persons on Wednesday.

“Why do you we need doctors for an asymptomatic quarantine facility? A pharmacist can ask questions and record temperature. Why do we need doctors to conduct case surveillance? It can be done by census workers. Why do we need to keep asymptomatic people in hospital quarantine? Just identify them to their neighbours and obviously they will not be allowed to move out,” said a senior public health expert.

As the number of positive cases is increasing, government spokesperson Sehrish Asghar said 20 villages in Bandipora, Shopian, Pulwama, Srinagar, Ganderbal, and Budgam had been declared as red zones.

According to the daily Media Bulletin on novel coronavirus, out of the 55 positive cases, 51 are active positive, two have recovered and two have died. Regarding the location of positive cases, 43 are from Kashmir division and 12 from Jammu division.

Till date 15,001 travellers and persons in contact with suspected cases have been put under surveillance which includes 9,895 in home quarantine, including in facilities operated by government, 350 persons in hospital quarantine, 51 in hospital isolation and 3,334 under home surveillance. As many as 1,371 persons have completed their 28-day surveillance period.

The Bulletin further said that till date, 861 samples have been sent for testing of which 804 have tested as negative, 55 positive and two reports are awaited.