Say ‘Social Distancing need of the hour’
Rameez Makhdoomi
Srinagar: At a time when Jammu and Kashmir government swung into action to fight novel coronavirus efforts at all levels, people have hailed their efforts—urging society at large to cooperate and bring vibrancy into the their efforts.
In order to ensure comfortable and safe stay of persons – arriving back from outside countries – shifted into quarantine facilities the Srinagar administration has fixed roles and responsibilities of officers assigned to different quarantine centres as incharge of relevant facilities.
District Magistrate, Srinagar, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary issuing strict instructions in this regard has warned that lapses will lead to strict action under rules as warranted against concerned officials.
The fixing of roles and responsibilities comes after the district administration released adequate funding to different departments for strengthening of response mechanism against the threat from the coronavirus epidemic. It is notable that funding to the tune of 3 crore rupees has been released to health and municipal departments and other concerned offices of the district. The funding released under SDRF is to be used for procuring requisite equipment for effective response mechanism against coronavirus.
Concerned officers have been instructed to ensure provision of all requisite facilities ranging from daily sanitisation and cleaning of rooms including toilets and premises to hygiene kits to twice-a-day medical screening and updation of reports and their forwarding to the COVID-19 control room to food for four times a day to round-the-clock power and water supplies to heating arrangements to proper accommodation for the assisting staff among other facilities.
It may be recalled that the administration has from last few days come up with stricter restrictions to combat the break out of CoronaVirus on large scale.
CoronaVirus as global Pandemic has already created havoc in the country, with four deaths and about 270 cases.
After a lady from Khanyar in Srinagar’s Downtown area with travel history was said to be positive, the CoronaVirus created lot of fear in the Kashmir valley, but authorities responded promptly with curfew like restrictions.
“The need of the hour is that we impose complete lockdown so that masses get relief and we need to cooperate with administration in ensuring complete lockdown,” Shabir Ahmad, a local said.
Srinagar Municipal Corporation, Jammu and Kashmir Police, District Administrations all are geared to meet this eventuality.
“Those—who are at forefront including Doctors and Nurses are playing immensely great job,” he said.
Another local said that the pulse of Kashmir is this time supporting the administration and all the wings of it, need is to impose much tougher control and restrictions so that we ensure only emergency movement.
“Maintaining social distance until the threat of CoronaVirus wades off is the need of the hour,” Hamid Hyderi of central Kashmir’s Budgam said.
Pertinently, the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Pandurang K. Pole today visited various quarantine facility centers across Srinagar city which were established for suspected Covid-19 patients.
The Div Com inspected round the clock facilities available at these centers including testing facilities, availability of adequate staff, equipments, ambulances, bedding, proper sanitation and other facilities.
He asked the concerned officials to work with dedication and ensure all the facilities are made available to the people being quarantined at these centers. He asked them to take all precautionary measures to containing the spread of infection.