22 quarantined after COVID19 death in Bandipora

The authorities identified and quarantined 22 persons at Gundjehangir village in Bandipora, comprising family members and acquaintances of a positive COVID19 victim who died at a Srinagar hospital on Monday.

The deceased, a 52-year old hailing from the Gundjehangirvillage in Bandipora district had tested positive for coronavirus at SMHShospital where he was undergoing treatment, officials said.

   

Dr S Saleem Khan, in-charge COVID19 response at GMCSrinagar, told this newspaper that the patient was admitted on Monday afternoonwith respiratory tract infection and fever.

He said the X-ray of the patient suggested that that he hadviral pneumonia, which prompted the doctors to take his sample for COVID19testing though he had no reported travel or contact history.   “However, within a couple of hours of his admission,his oxygen saturation started dropping further and in spite of our bestefforts, the patient died around 9:30 pm on Monday,” he said.

The sample of the deceased was found positive on Tuesdaymorning, Dr Khan said. “He was admitted with us for a few hours only,” he said.

Speaking to Greater Kashmir, a family member of the deceasedsaid, “He had no travel history nor had he met, as far as we know, to anyCOVID19 patient. We are shocked how he was detected as COVID-19 positive. Thebody was handed over to us wrapped in a green-coloured cloth. We took the bodyto our village in an ambulance the same night at 8:30 and buried it.”

They said only six people from the family were allowed toparticipate in the funeral in protective gear. “Besides, as per the protocol,the body was buried 8 feet deep the ground”.

As per the guidelines laid by the Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA), no bathing, kissing and hugging of deceased COVID-19 patient is allowedand same was followed in this case also, medical sources said.

Following the death of COVID19 patient from Bandipora, theauthorities declared Gundjehangir village as “Red Zone” and other surroundingvillages as “Buffer Zones”. No one from the area is allowed to leave or enterthe village.

Official on Special Duty (OSD) Syed Shahnawaz while talkingwith this newspaper said that “22 family members” were kept in anadministrative quarantine centre.

RED ZONES AND STRICT RESTRICTIONS

In the district, 11 villages were declared as Red Zones bythe administration and their surrounding villages as Buffer Zones to preventthe spread of coronavirus after 23 cases of COVID19 persons from these villageswere declared COVID positive in past three weeks.

The villages include Konan, GundQaiser, Gund-Dachina,Hakbara, Madwan, Pethkote, Hajin, Chandergeer, Batagund, Gundjehangir andNaidkhai. A total of 1835 are in home quarantine, 314 are in institutionalquarantine, said Assistant Commissioner Revenue, who is also designated NodalOfficer for Bandipora, Riyaz Ahmad Beigh.

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