Srinagar: With the first death of a religious preacher due to Covid-19, the administration has fears of community spread of the disease in Kashmir and has taken a slew of measures to combat it. Soon after the death of a 65-year-old religious preacher on Thursday, the Jammu and Kashmir administration closed down all masjids and shrines in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and asked police not to allow Friday prayers anywhere. Police and authorities did not allow Friday prayers in all the 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir. Lockdown in Kashmir was started on Thursday last when the first positive case surfaced in Srinagar city. Divisional Commissioner Kashmir K. Pole has ordered an official inquiry into the mishandling of the Covid-19 positive case of a religious preacher. Officials said that between 16 March, when the victim consulted the doctors the first time up to 24 March when he was tested positive, he had attended several religious gatherings and met about a hundred people, including his family members and relatives.
He was not put under quarantine and tested for Covid-19, despite having all the symptoms. Doctors have said that he did not reveal his travel history, but his family members have denied the claim of doctors, forcing the authorities to initiate the inquiry. DGP Dilbagh Singh told media that in the past 24 hours, they have virtually identified and arrested nearly 1,200 people in Jammu and Kashmir who hid their travel history to the Covid-19 affected countries. “In the past 24 hours, we have identified 1,200 people and have taken them to official quarantine facilities with the help of police,” a senior official told this newspaper.
The administration pro-actively worked to identify these people and many of them were reluctant about social isolation and they were taken to quarantine centers with the help of police.
Earlier, one of the identified Covid-19 hospitals of Srinagar city, the Chest Disease Hospital, had appealed to the authorities to deploy police as the suspected cases were not cooperating with them to remain in quarantine for 14 days. One girl student who had returned from Hungary fled from the hospital at midnight and admitting herself in SKIMS when she saw dogs in her ward.
After the death of a Tablighi Jamaat preacher who had visited many places including Delhi, Samba, Jammu and Sopore, before testing positive had met about a 100 people. Police and local administration launched a massive operation to trace and identify all the suspected cases in Kashmir to avoid community spread of Covid-19. DGP Dilbagh Singh told media that they have launched a massive operation to trace and shift all those people having travel history to affected places. He said that police and administration have set up controls and appealed people to inform them about any such case so that the infection does not spread further.
The fears of local administration are not misplaced as four more new positive cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed from Srinagar city. The total positive cases have gone up to 18 in Jammu and Kashmir, including a seven-month-old baby.
According to an official spokesman, they have kept 5,763 travellers and persons in contact with suspect cases under surveillance in Jammu and Kashmir.