90 Covid-19 red zones identified in J&K

Of the 90 red zones, 14 are in Jammu and 76 in Kashmir, are distributed across 13 districts, including Jammu, Rajouri, Udhampur, Bandipora, Baramulla, Shopian and Srinagar among others.

A total of 90 Covid-19 red zones have been identified in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Wednesday.

A paramilitary personnel waves a red flag as he signal people to turn back from an area declared as red zone in Srinagar on Wednesday. (Waseem Andrabi /ht)

So far, 300 positive cases including four deaths have been reported in the Union territory.

Of the 90 red zones, 14 are in Jammu and 76 in Kashmir, are distributed across 13 districts, including Jammu, Rajouri, Udhampur, Bandipora, Baramulla, Shopian and Srinagar among others.

The scale of spread could be gauged from the fact that from April 4 when the UT administration had identified 24 red zones in Kashmir and 10 in Jammu, the number has now gone up to 90—76 in Kashmir and 14 in Jammu region.

Srinagar district remains the largest with 15 such red zones followed by 14 in Baramulla, 12 in Bandipora, eight in Shopian, seven each in Kupwara, Pulwama and Budgam, five in Rajouri and four each in Jammu and Udhampur.

The administration also ordered to increase the sampling process to 600-800 per day.

“Standard operating procedures (SOP) for the red zones include 100% lockdown, survey to be done and linked with Aarogya app, home delivery of essentials, only sanitation and enforcement personnel to be allowed entry and arrangements to be made for non-Covid-19 patients,” said a senior official.

The administration has issued SOPs to be followed in these areas.

“The mapping of the red zone shall be done depending upon the size of habitation, the geographic distribution of positive cases, proximity to other habitations, accessibility, geographical barriers, mobility of positive persons, etc. Intelligent demarcation of boundaries of the red zone will be done using roads, natural barriers, etc,’’ officials said.