Srinagar administration has set up fresh quarantine centres as a precautionary measures in view of new variant’ of coronavirus.
“We have set up new quarantine centres in Srinagar. At present around eight persons are in a designated quarantine centre set up in Srinagar,” said additional deputy commissioner Srinagar, Hanief Balkhi.
He added that the quarantine centre was designated in view of new variant of coronavirus.
“The contact tracing is also on. District administration is taking all measures in the interest of public at large,” he said.
The district administration has also geared its teams to trace the UK returned persons and their contacts in the summer capital.
On 23 December 2020, District Magistrate Srinagar, Shahid Iqbal Choudhary has ordered that all those who have travel history to the UK or any European country will have to undergo RT-PCR testing for COVID-19.
“Our sincere appeal to people is to self-report in case they are Britain returnees. The contacts of patient tested positive must also self-report for quarantine. We all have to make collective effort to contain the virus,” Balkhi said.
He added that in an effort to encourage people to report travel history, the website Talaash launched by Srinagar administration was being monitored round the clock.
In March 2020, the district administration launched an online initiative for people to report travel history. The website provides options of “self report” and “report about others.”
Balkhi while encouraging people to self-report said that people can also report about others travel history.
An official informed that people under quarantine in Srinagar are categorized. He added that the first category is of the people who come into contact with positive cases. The second category is those people who have tested negative for the virus and the third category is those who have been tested but final reports are awaited.
As per media reports, India on Wednesday recorded 14 cases of a mutant strain of coronavirus, which is seventy percent more transmissible, and has prompted a wave of panic and border closures around the world.
India had already suspended all flights from the UK until the end of the month.