Srinagar: After a few decades, the Ladakh regaion is witnessing its first summer without tourists and Covid-19 spike again. Many villages, both in Kargil and Leh, are facing uncertain days due to a massive military build-up in the region.
“Such uncertainty and threat to our lives is unprecedented,” a local journalist from Kargil told this reporter. He said that a lot of people have been kept under home and administrative quarantine, as dozens of people have tested positive. Authorities on Saturday were busy chalking out containment villages both in Kargil and Leh, as already the UT administration of Ladakh has declared both Leh and Kargil as red zones. Covid-19 has hit back in the region after successful containment earlier by the health authorities here.
A senior health officer from Leh told this reporter that in the past few days, 150 people have tested positive both from Leh and Kargil and the number is rising. He further said that the reason behind the sharp rise in Covid-19 positive cases is the coming back of people from Ladakh as they were trapped in different parts of the country.
Earlier, P. Namgyal, a former MP and Congress leader from Ladakh, tested positive and died in hospital. Due to the negligence of authorities, his body was kept at his home and hundreds of people participated in his last journey, triggering alarm in the health circles about spread of Covid. Media reports from Ladakh said that on 8 June, a senior officer of ITBF and his minor child tested positive for Covid-19 in Leh. This has resulted in cluster containment in his area and also the main market of Leh. Hundreds of people were in contact with the officer and authorities declared Leh as a containment zone to prevent it from spreading further.
Health officials are keeping beds ready as they are waiting for more tests on Saturday from Delhi. On Friday, 104 people tested positive both from Leh and Kargil, while more than 150 people are under administrative quarantine and waiting for tests. A senior health official told this reporter that they are expecting more people to test positive and many of them at present are under home quarantine. Already, the Covid cases in Ladakh have gone up to 238 in the past few days.