Kashmir Administration Intensifies Restrictions On Movement Across Valley To Fight Covid-19 Threat   

Restrictions on the movement and assembly of people have been intensified in Kashmir to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus and contain Covid-19 infections. Four positive cases got added to the valley's tally of 11. One Covid-19 patient with an extensive travel history out of the previous total of eight died earlier on Thursday.

Local administration has been working to encourage people to stay home. District Magistrate/Development Commissioner, Srinagar, Kashmir, Shahid Choudhary took to Twitter to say that the closure of all religious places in Srinagar is under way. His tweet said the revered shrines Hazratbal, Naqshband Saheb "show the way".

He has also tweeted that Dastgeer Saheb, Gurudwara Saheb Chhati Padshahi and other places of religion have joined the move. He thanked the officials on ground and management committees for pitching in help in this direction.

Choudhary seemed concerned earlier today when he tweeted that "the control room had traced "152 undeclared cases of persons returned from UAE, Iran,Hungary,Taiwan, Malaysia, Cambodia, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Kazakhstan."

He made an appeal to people to come forward and "self-report" in order to help self, doctors and society. It seems that the local administration in Kashmir had to put in some hard work in getting hold of a suspected patient who managed to escape from a hospital.

According to this report, security forces sealed off roads. Barriers have been erected to check movement in the valley. Restrictions under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) were imposed. People have been advised to stay indoors. Drones are being used by the police to announce restrictions and keep people informed. The four Covid-19 positive cases that got added are from Bandipore, according to the report.

Choudhary took to Twitter to make a plea for not calling people out for prayers and for taking steps towards breaking the Covid-19 chain. "Prayers are equally effective from Home as they would be from a religious place," one of his posts said.