Srinagar: Restrictions were on Thursday further intensified on movement and assembly of people following death of a 65-year-old man due to Coronavirus and positive test results of four others in Kashmir, where life remained crippled for the eighth successive day in view of lock down.
A 65-year-old man, a resident of Hyderpora in Srinagar, was the first person to die due to Coronavirus on Thursday in Kashmir. Four more people were tested positive on Wednesday in the valley, taking the total number of infected persons to seven.
District Magistrate Srinagar Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary on Thursday ordered imposition of very strict restrictions in Srinagar in the wake of the surfacing of more Coronavirus positive cases. The Srinagar administration had on Wednesday warned that actual cases in community could probably be more than those tested positive for Coronavirus and urged people to remain indoors.
Official sources told UNI that strict restrictions on movement and assembly of people continued for the eight successive day across Kashmir valley, where train service remained suspended till March 31.
Shops and business establishments remained closed while streets were deserted as locals and traffic were off the roads in the valley, where despite wet weather police vehicles fitted with public address system were directing people since early this morning to remain indoors in view of imposition of restrictions under 144 CrPc, barring assembly of more than three people.
Police was even using drones in some areas in Srinagar round the clock to announce restrictions on the movement of people as part of the 21-day lockdown to combat Coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile, acting tough against violators of government order, many shops, hotels and educational institutes were sealed while about 90 persons were arrested by the police from Srinagar, Sopore, Handwara, Ganderbal and Anantnag in the valley since Tuesday.
All educations institutes, including schools, colleges and universities, remained closed in the valley, where train services and public transport were suspended till March 31.
The J&K UT administration spokesperson Rohit Kansal on Wednesday said that all government offices except those providing essential services have been closed till April 14.
The administration had on Sunday announced a complete lockdown till March 31 across the Union Territory as part of its efforts to prevent spread of Coronavirus. However, people associated with 16 essential services, including healthcare, groceries, fruit, milk, petrol, banks and media have been exempted from lockdown.
The streets in uptown and civil lines were deserted as shops and business establishment were closed and traffic was off the roads though few private vehicles were plying. Despite wet weather, security forces were deployed in these areas, where people alleged they security personnel were not allowing them to move out of their houses.
Similar situation was witnessed in downtown, where people also alleged that they were not allowed to move out of their houses even to buy groceries and vegetables.
Security forces have closed the main roads in downtown and SeK with barbed wires at Nawa Kadal, Rajouri Kadal, Kawdara and Khanyar. Similar road blocks remained erected by security forces at Nowhatta, Rangar stop and Gojwara. “Security forces were making announcement through loudspeakers since early this morning, directing people to remain indoors in view of curfew imposed in the district. We are running out of essential commodities, including vegetables,” Maimuna, a resident of Nawakadal, told UNI.
She said that the announcements were being made during the night time as well.
The authorities have so far accommodated about 2000 people, who returned from Bangladesh, Ladakh, Bangkok, Dubai, Combodia, UK etc at facilities — in different categories of risk.
Similar reports of lockdown were received from other parts of the valley, including Kupwara and Baramulla in north, Budagm and Ganderbal in central and Anantnag, Pulwama Kulgam in south Kashmir.
