Two more test positive for coronavirus in Kashmir

Three more people in Kashmir, who had travel history, tested positive for deadly COVID-19 on Tuesday, taking the toll in Jammu and Kashmir to seven.

“#COVID19 #JammuAndKashmir 2 more cases reported positive in Srinagar. One has confirmed travel history outside India. Full details regarding the second being ascertained (sic),” J&K government spokesman Rohit Kansal tweeted.

In another tweet in the evening, he said: “#COVID19#JammuAndKashmir Another positive case in Kashmir division. Patient, from Bandipora, with history of travel outside J&K but no history of travel abroad.  Contact tracing on. @diprjk @HealthMedicalE1.”

Sources said one of them is a resident of uptown Natipora and had returned from Saudi Arabia on March 16 in the same flight (443-Air India) which was boarded by the 67-year-old woman, from old city Khanyar, who tested positive on March 17. The Natipora resident is 57-year-old and had reported to the Chest Diseases Hospital, a couple of days back.

The other person is said to be a resident of posh Hyderpora, aged around 65-years, who  had travelled to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and returned to Kashmir via Delhi,  after being part of a ‘Tablighi Jamaat’ attended by people from Indonesia and Malaysia.

The Srinagar Municipal Corporation immediately rushed teams to the residences of the patients and sanitised their houses and the neighbourhood within 300-metre radius.

Three cases have been tested positive in Jammu region while in Ladakh Union Territory so-far 13 persons have tested positive for the deadly virus.

Meanwhile, the government informed that 4765 travelers and persons in contact with suspected cases have been put under surveillance and, so far. According to the daily Media Bulletin on novel coronavirus, 2928 persons have been kept under home quarantine while as 71 are in hospital quarantine.

Persons who are under home surveillance stand at 1268 while as 498 persons have completed their 28-day surveillance period.

The Bulletin said that 279 samples have been sent for testing of which 253 tested as negative. Only seven persons have tested positive so far and of them only six are active positive and one patient has recovered.  The bulletin further stated that 20 reports are awaited till March 24.