Amid a spike in COVID-19 positivity rate, the authorities in Jammu and Kashmir have ordered a lockdown in Srinagar, Baramulla and Pulwama districts from 7 pm Thursday to 7 am Monday.
“There will be a complete lockdown in Srinagar district from 7 pm Thursday (29/04/21) to 7 am Monday (03/05/21). Exemptions apply to essential services. Detailed order shall follow,’’ deputy commissioner of Srinagar Aijaz Assad announced in a tweet.
The move comes a day after the district administration imposed Section 144 in Srinagar to ban the assembly of more than five people.
The district administration in Baramulla has also locked down the district and said only essential services will be allowed.
The UT administration has also decided to impose a ‘corona curfew’ in 11 districts—Srinagar, Anantnag, Baramulla, Budgam, Kulgam, Pulwama, Ganderbal, Jammu, Kathua, Reasi and Udhampur.
Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed sharp surge in new COVID-19 cases and deaths.
On Wednesday, nine COVID patients died in different hospitals in the Union Territory. The fresh deaths have pushed the toll to 59 in the last three days.
Kashmir has witnessed a steady rise in the positivity rate since the start of the second wave. Although the situation is under control, the growing number of cases has caused an alarm in the UT, forcing the authorities to impose restrictions and beef up medical infrastructure like temporary hospitals and an oxygen bank. The authorities have already created four 1300-bed temporary hospitals. Two 500-bed hospitals for COVID patients will also be built by the DRDP, one each in Srinagar and Jammu.
The rise in COVID-19 cases in the UT has disrupted a booming tourist season in Kashmir. Many hoteliers told THE WEEK that most of their bookings for the month of May have been cancelled after the second wave.
The tourism sector in Kashmir had been in recession since the revocation of Article 370 in August 2019. However, the industry was hopeful of a promising 2020 after a huge rush of top spending tourists thronged Kashmir in winters and new year’s eve.