For the fourth consecutive day on Sunday, restrictions continued on the public movement and assembly across Kashmir as part of covid lockdown announced by the government.
Sources said that police and security forces put barricades on roads at many places in Srinagar and elsewhere in Kashmir to prevent public movement.
“The restrictions were being implemented strictly and the people were also cooperating with the administration,” senior officials said here, adding that the essential and emergency services were allowed.
The administration has exempted groceries, milk shops, fruit and vegetable vendors, bakery and meat sellers from the curfew and they were allowed to function between 1000 hrs and 1800 hrs during the lockdown.
Chemist shops, LPG/petrol pumps, ATM, media, FCI, e-Commerce, construction activities, COVID-19 vaccination, inter-state movement are fully allowed during the lockdown.
The administration had imposed 84-hour long lockdown in 11 districts viz. Srinagar, Anantnag, Baramulla, Budgam, Kulgam, Pulwama, Ganderbal, Jammu, Kathua, Reasi and Udhampur from 7pm on Thursday.
In the rest of the nine districts viz. Bandipora, Kupwara, Shopian, Rajouri, Poonch, Samba, Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban the lockdown came into effect from 7pm on Friday.
Meanwhile, the government on Saturday announced the extension of the lockdown in four districts— one in Jammu and three in Kashmir— till Thursday morning.
Officials said the “corona lockdown” which was to end at 7am on Monday, stands extended till 7am on Thursday in four districts of Srinagar, Baramulla, Budgam and Jammu.
The extension in the lockdown in these districts has come in the backdrop of unabated rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in Kashmir, particularly the summer capital, Srinagar, which has recorded the major chunk of positive cases during the last about a fortnight.
On Saturday the UT recorded its biggest single-day spike of 3,832 COVID-19 cases, taking the infection tally to 1,79,915, while a record 47 fatalities in the 24-hour-period raised the pandemic toll to 2,330.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioners (DCs) of Anantnag, Kulgam and Kupwara on Sunday announced extension of the lockdown amid unabated rise in the number of coronavirus cases and deaths in Kashmir.
The Lt Governor during a high-level meeting on Saturday extended lockdown in four districts of J&K including Srinagar, Budgam and Baramulla in Kashmir and Jammu district, till May 6.
”Anantnag will continue with the existing level of measures, which are in place since April 28. So corona curfew continues till further orders,” DC, Anantnag, Dr Piyush Singla said.
Similarly, the Deputy Commissioner, Kulgam, Dr Bilal Bhat said the administration will continue with the existing level of measures, which are in place since April 28 in the district. ”So corona curfew would continue till further orders,” he added.
DC Kupwara said that the existing level of measures, which are in place since April 30, will continue in the district. ”So corona curfew continues till further orders,” he added.