Coronavirus: Parks, gardens closed in Srinagar till further orders amid COVID-19 fears

Amid ongoing coronavirus scare, administration in Srinagar on Monday announced that all parks and gardens will remain closed in the city till further orders.

“All parks and gardens in Srinagar will remain closed until further notice. Cooperation of people in implementing precautionary measures is appreciated,” Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Shahid Iqbal tweeted.

All educational institutions, including schools, colleges and universities, have already been closed in Jammu and Kashmir till March 31 in view of COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the J&K government, 24 patients are admitted in hospitals across the Union Territory as suspected cases of coronavirus. A media bulletin issued by the government said that 89 samples have been sent for testing till date, of which 78 have tested negative and two positive. Reports of nine cases are awaited, the bulletin said.

The bulletin said 1878 travellers and persons in contact with suspected cases have been put under surveillance while as 1567 persons are under home quarantine. According to government figures, about 400 people have been home quarantined in past three days. These, a government official said, are people with travel history to countries badly affected by coronavirus. Further, it said, 164 persons have completed their 28-day surveillance period.