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Srinagar declared orange zone, residents question permitting festivals, opening gardens
In March, Jammu and Kashmir logged 4,519 cases against 1,935 cases in February, reporting an increase of 133%
With the Jammu and Kashmir administration declaring Srinagar an orange zone on Tuesday, people have raised questions over the government’s reasoning for allowing festivals and keeping gardens and parks open in the district that is emerging as a Covid hotspot.
After a relative decline in virus cases in January and February, Kashmir valley witnessed a surge in daily infections in March. “The surging virus cases have taken Srinagar to the orange category. We need to be more cautious and take precautions,” said Srinagar deputy commissioner Aijaz Asad.
In March, the UT logged 4,519 cases against 1,935 cases in February, reporting an increase of 133% - a definitive indication of a second wave. Srinagar alone has contributed 2,043 cases, which amounts to 45% of the total cases in March.
Irrespective of the surging cases , people have been thronging parks and gardens with utter disregard for Covid-19 protocols. The Srinagar administration has announced that it will impose fines on those caught without masks and subject the person to rapid antigen test (RAT) on the spot.
A video of thousands of people attending a musical programme at Badamwari (garden of almonds) on Sunday without any social distancing and negligent use of masks has gone viral on social media with people raising questions on the seriousness of the government to fight the pandemic.
Thousands of tourists and locals have also been visiting Tulip Garden owing to the bloom of its 1.5 million tulip bulbs at Siraj Bagh on the foothills of Zabarwan mountain range after it was thrown open for public on March 25. Officials say that more than 50,000 people including tourists from other states have visited the garden in the past week ( around 14,500 visited on Sunday alone).
The government is preparing to host a tulip festival from April 3 and has been making attempts to woo more visitors.
Advisor to lieutenant governor Baseer Ahmad Khan on Monday directed officers to take all measures ‘meticulously’ so that tourists from the rest of the country and abroad are attracted to the festival. “This must look like the festive tulip season in the real sense,” he said. according to a government spokesperson and also ‘underscored the need to maintain guard against Covid and laid stress on following the protocol adherently”.
However, as per the government figures, 34% of Covid-19 cases in March in Srinagar alone have been contributed by travellers.
“Srinagar is one of the 46 hotspot districts in the country, showing an exponential rise in cases and we are participating in public concerts and shows. Around 40% of the new cases are travellers,” said Dr Muhammad Salim Khan,pProfessor and head community medicine, Government Medical College (GMC), Srinagar.
He said there’s clustering of cases in marriage functions, condolence gatherings, tourist spots and recreational facilities. “We are contradicting our efforts by these activities,” he said.
Khan said that after a dip in January and February the rise of the infections in March this year was exponential as compared to the steady rise in the same period last year.
“The number of severe admissions in hospitals is more than last year,” he said.
People have also expressed concern over ‘unrestricted’ entry of visitors, particularly tourists, saying such a measure will bring mutant strains in the valley. The officials on Wednesday said that they have already sent some samples for genome sequencing.
Residents have demanded that those visiting the UT, particularly Srinagar, should be asked to perform a RT-PCR Covid-19 test beforehand and present its report at the airport.
“If we allow them to travel and then perform tests on the airport, many people will already get infected during the flight. Such cases do not get detected as they would test positive after three to four days,” said Abdul Majeed, an ex-banker and a resident of Srinagar.
“Why can’t we make Covid-19 negative reports mandatory for all those who want to visit? We should take a cue from Ladakh” he said.
Divisional commissioner, Kashmir, Pandurang K Pole did not respond to calls and messages . Deputy commissioner Srinagar, Aijaz Asad, ruled out a fresh lockdown in the district, saying such a thing was in nobody’s favour.
“We have seen how the previous lockdown affected almost every business. The lower strata of the society such as the labourers and the boatmen were especially affected,” Asad said, stressing that the district administration will scale up testing facilities and upgrade quarantine centres.
