ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES 84-HOUR LOCKDOWN IN SRINAGAR

SRINAGAR: In view of the prevailing surge in Covid-19 cases, District Administration Srinagar has announced an 84-hour complete lockdown in the district.

Mohammad Aijaz Asad, Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, announced on Twitter, “There will be Complete Lockdown in Srinagar District from 7:00 pm Thursday (29/04/2021) to 7:00 am Monday (03/05/2021). Exemptions apply to essential services. Detailed order shall follow.”

In the last 24 hours, Srinagar has seen Covid-19 positive cases grow to about 1,200, forcing the authorities to deploy police and other security forces to implement section 144 within the municipal limits of the city.

Fatalities have also increased and in the past 24 hours and there have been over three dozen deaths, especially a good number in Srinagar city.

The government of Jammu and Kashmir is closely monitoring the situation on the ground.

The doctors’ association of Kashmir had appealed to Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha to impose a complete lockdown to flatten the curve of the Covid-19 second wave in Kashmir.

In another order, the J&K administration has asked the teaching and non-teaching staff of all the educational institutions in the Union Territory to work from home.

Myriad media reports, quoting family members and Covid-positive patients, indicate that there is an acute shortage of medical supplies in the hospitals of Jammu and Kashmir. The government, however, claims that they have enough medicines, ventilators, and hospital oxygen supply to cope with the growing number of cases in J&K.

The second wave of the pandemic is already impacting the fragile economy of the Kashmir valley with tourism and travel taking another hit. Most hotels and houseboats are now empty and people are now looking to save their lives instead of going out for their livelihoods.