E-Paper
Covid surge: 88 areas declared containment zones in Srinagar
Srinagar has witnessed a spike in Covid cases in the past one week; DC Ajaz Asad says their district has 60% share in the active caseload in J&K
Srinagar has witnessed a spike in Covid cases in the past one week, prompting the administration to declare 88 areas in the city as containment zones.
Out of over 1,300 active Covid cases in the UT, more than half come from Srinagar district. The officials have started taking steps to prevent the surge in cases as they fear unchecked infections could trigger the third wave. Other than Srinagar, cases reported from 19 other districts are either in single digit or no case at all.
Medical experts and officials are worried over the spike in the cases in the city and say that by not following the Covid-appropriate behaviour, this surge could lead J&K towards the third wave.
Srinagar DC Ajaz Asad said their district has 60% share in the active caseload in J&K.
“Currently, we have 88 containment zones in Srinagar, 22 of which were added in the past one week. Due to special congregations, there has been a spike in the cases from certain areas or pockets of the city,” he added.
“If we don’t follow safety protocols, then Srinagar could be the reason behind the start of third wave in J&K,” Asad said, adding that the people who haven’t taken vaccine should do it immediately.
The administration has, meanwhile, formed special teams in the city to ensure compliance with Covid guidelines. On Tuesday, 15 people were detained by police from different areas for not wearing masks.
“Srinagar can again become a hot spot if people show laxity. The lowering of guard in last couple of weeks led to spike in cases. People shouldn’t forget that this is a deadly disease,” said Dr Ahad, a senior consultant at a city hospital.
On Wednesday, Jammu and Kashmir recorded 156 fresh coronavirus infections and one death.
There were 123 cases in Kashmir while the Jammu division saw 32 infections. The summer capital Srinagar saw the highest count of 77 cases.
The number of patients who were cured in the UT was 131 with active cases reaching 1,349.
The overall number of people who have recovered reached 3,21,532, prompting the recovery rate to climb up to 98.23%.
Since the pandemic started, the overall cases in J&K have reached 3,27,296 and the death toll stands at 4,414.
215 infections detected in Himachal
Himachal Pradesh recorded 215 fresh Covid infections on Wednesday, which took the state’s tally to 2,16,303 while the death toll mounted to 3,628 after two patients succumbed to the infection.
Of the new cases, 42 were reported in Bilaspur, 41 each in Hamirpur and Mandi, 35 in Kangra, 32 in Shimla, 12 in Una, eight in Chamba and two each in Lahaul-Spiti and Solan.
The active cases have gone up to 1,650 while recoveries reached 2,11,008 after 95 people recuperated.
Kangra is the worst-hit district with a total of 48,238 cases reported to date followed by 30,408 cases in Mandi and 26,972 in Shimla.
