‘Police tracing all contacts of J&K’s first COVID-19 casualty’

A day after a native of Srinagar who had a long travel history succumbed to COVID-19, Jammu and Kashmir police chief Dilbag Singh on Friday said efforts are on to trace all those people who came in contact with him so that they can be quarantined.

He appealed to people to voluntarily come forward and saidhiding information could prove to be “fatal”.

   

“All those people this person met and places where he stayedare under threat. This needs to be understood,” the director general of police(DGP) said here.

Singh said efforts are being made to trace all such peopleand quarantine them to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The 65-year-old man, a preacher, hailed from Srinagar’sHyderpora area. He died on Thursday, becoming the first fatality in Jammu andKashmir due to coronavirus.

Singh said people should not take this death as a joke andinstead view it as a “very serious threat”.

Sharing the sexagenarian’s travel history, the DGP said, “Hehad travelled from Deoband (in Uttar Pradesh) to Delhi and to Nizamuddin. FromNizamuddin he travelled to Samba (Jammu region) and stayed at a mosque. Fromthere he went to Srinagar and from there to Bandipora (north Kashmir).”

“He travelled a long distance. Now all people have to betraced and quarantined,” he added.

So far, four people who came in contact with the preacher inBandipora have been identified, Singh said. “They have tested positive (forCOVID-19). The number of positive cases (in Jammu and Kashmir) was constant fora long period but has suddenly gone up with these people testing positive,” hesaid.

Singh said the people have to understand the magnitude ofthe situation. “General public must understand the purpose of the lockdown.”

The DGP said the impact of COVID-19 is seen not only inJammu and Kashmir but across the world. He said that the day when the PrimeMinister Narendra Modi appealed for Janta Curfew, Jammu and Kashmir Policealong with civil administration, Health department and all other essentialorganisations started taking  measures tocontain the spread of this deadly disease.

He said beside the lockdown, Jammu and Kashmir policelaunched awareness drive to make people aware about the dangers of this virus.

He said that to create awareness on large scale, short audioclips in Urdu, Kashmiri and Dogri languages were posted on social media sites;loud speakers were used at Police station and Police post levels to make thepeople aware even in remote areas. He said that messages of social, politicaland religious leaders were also used to promote preventive measures and socialdistancing.

The DGP said that thousands of J&K Police personnelalong with other security forces are on ground to make sure that the ordersissued from time to time by the government are adhered to by the generalpeople.

He said to ensure the lockdown as many as 329 FIRs werelodged against the violators and 600 vehicles/shops seized/sealed for noncompliance.

The DGP said that Police along with civil administrationhave started to find out all those persons who are hiding their travel history.”Till now 1200 such persons were identified from different places who eitherhave international travel history or have come in contact with such persons.”They have been sent to quarantine centres, he said.

He said that about 300 Police personnel batch who wereoutside the Union Territory for training purpose have been put underquarantine.

He said no one is being spared as this is the onlypreventive measure in “our hands to check each and every one.” He said thatpeople must understand that one infected person can be  harmful for the whole community.

Singh said that people don’t have to panic as “our thousandsof officers and soldiers are on ground and every possible assistance and helpwill be provided as and when required.”

He said besides fighting the deadly virus all the necessarysecurity arrangements are also in place across Jammu and Kashmir.

Meanwhile to encourage voluntary disclosure of people withtravel history Police in Nagrota Jammu roped in Panchayat Raj Institutions andvolunteers to have door to door appeal to trace out such people. So far 32 suchpeople have been traced.

FIRs lodged today

Jammu and Kashmir Police today lodged 30 FIRs across theUnion Territory.

In Kashmir zone 26 FIRs were registered against theviolators, which include four each in Srinagar, Shopian and Handwara, threeeach in Pulwama and Baramulla, two each in Awantipora and Bandipora, one eachin Ganderbal, Kupwara, Sopore and Kulgam.Similarly in Jammu zone four FIRs one each inSamba, Udhampur, Reasi and Poonch have been registered against the violators.

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