The COVID-19 lockdown is likely to continue in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district as the cases surge, official sources said Thursday.
The sources said that the response from the stakeholders like traders had been positive in implementing the lockdown. They said easing lockdown would make the COVID-19 burst which cannot be allowed to happen as the spread was relatively under control in this district.
Bandipora is already under lockdown for a week.
Wednesday evening the lockdown was further extended for two more days till Friday.
Deputy Commissioner Bandipora, Owais Ahamd said, “The situation around demands implementation of restrictions, especially around major and micro-containment zones. Recently, it has been seen the town areas and their neighbouring areas are witnessing a huge spike of COVID-19 cases due to which the areas have been declared as major and micro containment zones and restrictions have been imposed.”
He said people should cooperate in breaking the chain by not venturing out of the containment zones and also get vaccinated.
Meanwhile, the official sources said the lockdown was to remain in place as the majority of the people during the partial opening of markets did not show appropriate COVID-19 behaviour and also some of the shopkeepers had violated strict home isolation guidelines by operating their business.
The officials said that they have booked some of them and registered FIRs against them for threatening the lives of others.
The officials at the Medical Block Bandipora said there were almost nine major containment zones in Bandipora, five among them in the town area.
They said that around 13 patients were serious and were being treated at District Hospital Bandipora, which had been designated as the COVID facility in the district for critically ill patients requiring high-low oxygen.
Stating that the situation was grim, the officials said that 70 more cases were added to the already active 729 case list on Thursday.