STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir government on July 24 lifted weekend COVID-19 curfew in all districts. However, the government announced that measures to control the spread will continue in the union territory and remain in force till further order.
“It was observed that as compared to the previous weeks, significant improvement has been made by all the districts in respect of the above parameters. However, there is a need to continue with some of the existing COVID containment measures in all the districts in view of the uneven trend in the daily COVID cases,” reads the official order.
166 fresh cases in UT
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir recorded 166 fresh cases of the coronavirus on Sunday, which took the infection tally to 3,20,657, while no death occurred in the last 24 hours, officials said.
Out of the fresh cases, 34 were from the Jammu division and 132 from the Kashmir division of the union territory, they said.
The officials said Srinagar recorded the highest 66 cases, followed by 18 in Baramulla district.
The number of active cases dropped to 1,288 in the union territory, while 3,14,995 patients have recovered so far, they said.
The death toll in the union territory due to the pandemic stands at 4,374 as no fresh death was reported in the past 24 hours, the officials said.
Meanwhile, they said, there were 35 confirmed cases of Mucormycosis (black fungus) in the union territory as no fresh case was reported since last evening.
As per the order, public and private educational institutions are permitted to seek personal attendance of limited vaccinated staff for administrative purposes.
The maximum number of people permitted to attend any indoor/ outdoor gathering shall be restricted to 25, the order further added.
According to Chief Secretary A K Mehta, the decision was taken at a meeting of the State Executive Committee (SEC) with a focus on total weekly new cases (per million), positivity rate, bed occupancy, case fatality rate and vaccination coverage of the targeted population.
Jammu and Kashmir’s Department of Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction clarified the night curfew shall continue to remain in force in all districts from 8 pm to 7 am.
“The district magistrates shall strictly ensure that there is full compliance to COVID-appropriate behaviour and defaulters are firmly dealt with under relevant sections of the Disaster Management Act and the Indian Penal Code.” it added.
The SEC asked the District Magistrates to constitute joint teams of police and executive magistrates for enforcement of COVID-appropriate behaviour. The people have been impressed upon to wear masks and take all the precautions, as per standing guidelines, issued from time to time.
The advisories emphasise that the best way to protect themselves from COVID-19 is by maintaining physical distance of at least 2 meter from others, frequently cleaning hands with an alcohol based hand sanitizer or washing them with soap and water and following good respiratory etiquette and hygiene.
As a measure for social distancing in public places and workplaces wearing a face cover is compulsory.
“Early detection of COVID-19 can prevent the spread of disease so we need to be responsible for the well-being of ourselves and everyone around us. “Not disclosing symptoms could put life of individuals and their families at risk. In case of symptoms like fever, cough and difficulty in breathing report early. Do not fear, call COVID-19 helpline numbers and seek medical advice”, the latest advisory states.