Srinagar Mayor Junaid Azim Mattu and District Development Council Chairman Malik Aftab, in a joint letter to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday, proposed additional measures to be taken by the government to contain the coronavirus.
In the letter, they said that in their consultations with fellow elected representatives, community representatives, trade union bodies, religious scholars and medical fraternity, they have found a broad consensus in the need for certain additional extraordinary measures to be implemented in Srinagar in time to prevent a potentially adverse situation.
It added that representatives of the medical fraternity have highlighted the potential dangers of overcrowding in our hospital OPDs and private clinics and how this might strain our healthcare infrastructure and expose our healthcare workers to grave risks, potentially affecting their ability to prioritise COVID patients.
“We request the administration to notify a sustainable system of segregation and crowd regulation of non-emergent patients in this context to isolate major hospitals and healthcare workers from contagion risks,” the letter reads.
The Mayor and DDC Chairman has proposed that public transport should be regulated on an odd-even registration basis and marketplaces should be segregated for operations based on particular types of shops and stores permitted to open on a rotational basis on specific categorised weekdays.
“A policy pertaining to restaurants and eating houses is also the need of the hour. The situation has necessitated similar steps to be taken across all public places that witness crowds,” reads the letter.
The letter further proposes that consensus should be facilitated and evolved between representatives of all religious communities, seeking their cooperation and support to help collectively restrict and avoid situations which could have an adverse impact and put lives in danger.
“The administration should invite religious scholars and community representatives and seek their active support and assistance in this direction.”
They proposed that severe penalties need to be notified and enforced on individuals and institutions found in violation of COVID SOPs and guidelines, most prominently the wearing of face-masks and ensuring physical distancing.
“As is being enforced in various other cities, heavy fines need to be imposed on those institutions and individuals who are violating these norms. The official deployment of and systemic enforcement through the Police Department would be indispensable.”
It added that every possible measure needs to be taken to prevent gatherings of all sorts, regulate crowds in marketplaces and public transport and also restrict – in some measure – attendance in non-essential offices and institutions as per restrictive, segregated rosters.
“While we appreciate the steps taken this past week in this direction including shutting down of paid public parks and regulation of gatherings in indoor and outdoor venues, we believe some more steps need to be taken.”
The letter said that ongoing vaccination drive, in addition to adherence to COVID norms and guidelines, will be vital in efforts to stop the spread of COVID in Srinagar and elsewhere. “We believe local administrative units of the SMC and Rural Development Department could be utilised for a decentralised mechanism in this direction – reaching out to people in their local communities and localities.”
The letter added that while steps taken by the administration to spread awareness about the vaccination drive and to fight misinformation are highly appreciated, “we would request augmentation of these efforts to ensure widespread vaccination of those who are eligible.”
“We also request the administration to allow our teachers in public and private schools to work from their homes, as has been done in colleges and universities. This would not affect the online mode of impartation while also isolating our large teaching community from any potential risks.”
It further proposed that medical experts and prevention medicine specialists should be included in consultative processes and empowered to advise the administration on policy decisions that might be necessitated from time to time. “Constitution of an advisory committee of senior doctors and experts in Srinagar could go a long way in helping us to take timely preventive decisions as we go forward.”