J&K government has put to quarantine 85 persons who arrived at Srinagar Airport from Ladakh on Wednesday morning, even as 11 ‘isolation places’ have been identified in the city.
Official sources said that 85 people arrived at SrinagarAirport by Air India 448 fight on Wednesday morning from Leh. “They wereboarded in buses and kept in a hotel on the banks of Dal Lake,” sources said.
“85 people arrived here from Leh today morning,” DeputyCommissioner, Budgam, confirmed to Greater Kashmir adding that they were sentto a Srinagar hotel for quarantine.
Sources said the passengers tried to leave for their homesfrom the airport, however the officials did not allow them “as they havetravelled from Ladakh which has recorded more half a dozen virus affectedcases”.
Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Pandurang Kondbarao Polesaid these people will be screened and quarantined. “They have to undergo theprocedure and there will be no compromise on that,” the Div Com told GreaterKashmir.
He said that in Srinagar city 11 places have been identifiedfor screening and quarantine. “We have also identified places in Budgamdistrict,” he said.
Pandurang Pole who assumed the charge of DivisionalCommissioner today only, said that screening process at Srinagar-Jammu highwayhas also been “tightened”.
“We are ensuring that anybody who enters the valley isscreened fully and due procedure in this regard is followed,” he said.
Earlier, on Monday, Chief Secretary J&K had directed theDivisional Commissioners of Jammu and Kashmir to ensure that passengers in allflights coming from Ladakh were 100% quarantined, besides setting up ofquarantine facility at Baltal Base Camp in Sonmarg, Kashmir to quarantinepeople entering into J&K from Ladakh by road.
It was also decided that all foreigners visiting the UnionTerritory shall be quarantined as per the set protocol.
No passenger from Ladakh to enter Kashmir
Meanwhile, the authorities have ordered that no passengerfrom Leh and Kargil shall be allowed to enter Kashmir by road or air. The order was issued by Additional DeputyCommissioner, Srinagar, on Wednesday evening.
As per the order only passengers who have certified documentfrom competent medical authority of mandatory quarantine period observed at theoriginating places of travel, shall be allowed. Director Airport Srinagar/Leh/Kargil; commanding officers of AirforceCISF shall ensure that the directions are adhered to in letter and spirit.
In another order, Transport Commissioner, Jammu and Kashmir,Pardeep Kumar has banned inter-state buses. “In order to mitigate thetransmission of COVID-19 in Union Territory, it is ordered that no inter-statebus service shall ply on inter-state routes with immediate effect till furtherorder,” the order said.
As per the order the buses belonging to J&K which arepresently outside the UT, shall not carry any passenger from outside whilereturning back.