78 complete quarantine in Kashmir, sent back home
As soon as the people came out of the hotels in Srinagar where the administration had put them in quarantine after arriving from Leh in an Air India flight on March 18, they were ferried to their respective districts of the valley in state transport buses.
Around 78 travellers who had returned from Leh and were put under 14-day quarantine in Srinagar were sent back home on Tuesday after completing the quarantine period, said officials of the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Tuesday.
As soon as the people came out of the hotels in Srinagar where the administration had put them in quarantine after arriving from Leh in an Air India flight on March 18, they were ferried to their respective districts of the valley in state transport buses.
“This was the first batch of people who were quarantined and were lodged in two hotels. No one among them developed flu-like symptoms. The police clapped for them to boost their morale,” said Idrees, nodal officer of the quarantine centre on the banks of Dal Lake.
Out of these 78 people, 52 were travellers including businessmen while 26 were students. They had arrived at Srinagar Airport on March 18 and most of them belonged to Kupwara, Baramulla, Anantnag, Pulwama, Srinagar, Ganderbal
Kashmir had reported its first coronavirus positive case on March 18 and the authorities had imposed restrictions from the next day to prevent the spread of the disease.
“As soon as they landed at the airport, they were put in quarantine at the designated hotels,” said additional deputy commissioner Srinagar, Hanif Balki.
The Kashmir administration has quarantined hundreds of people in over 65 hotels and government buildings who returned from foreign countries as well as those from different parts of the country after March 18.
Balki said that more people will be completing their quarantine on Wednesday. “Over 100 people, many of which are students who had arrived from Bangladesh will be sent back homes,” he said.
The doctors have advised them to home quarantine themselves for another 14 days. “We have issued necessary instructions to them, including the need to stay indoors and avoid any unnecessary travel,” he said.