1433 people put under surveillance for coronavirus in J-K: Govt

The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Thursday said 1,433 travellers and persons in contact with suspected coronavirus cases have been put under surveillance in the Union Territory, which has reported one positive case so far.

With the cases of coronavirus on the rise in the country, Financial Commissioner of the Jammu and Kashmir Health and Medical Education Department Atal Dulloo took stock of measures put in place to prevent the spread of the disease in the Union Territory (UT).

He also inspected the facilities for suspected patients in two hospitals in Jammu.

"In UT of J&K till date, 1,433 travellers and persons in contact with suspected cases have been put under surveillance, of whom 1,178 are under home quarantine," a Health bulletin issued by the UT administration said.

Of them, 17 are under hospital quarantine, 80 in home surveillance and 158 have completed their 28-day surveillance period, it said.

As many as 74 samples have been sent for testing and out of which, 29 are negative and only one have tested positive, while reports of 44 samples are awaited, it said.

The administration appealed to the people to voluntarily declare their foreign travel history.

Officials said coronavirus testing labs have been started in Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences in Srinagar and Government Medical College in Jammu.

Another facility at Government Medical College in Srinagar was operationalised on Thursday.

Control rooms and surveillance teams have been constituted in all districts, they said.

The government has strongly urged all social, religious and political organisations to avoid large gatherings.

"There is no need to panic, the public is advised to maintain social distancing; avoid un-necessary travel and use of public transport; and also take basic precautions, including personal hygiene, frequent hand washing with soap and observing coughing and sneezing etiquettes, the government advisory said.

Anyone with fever, cough and difficulty in breathing has been urged to seek medical care at the earliest, it said.

Dulloo inspected the isolation wards set up for coronavirus suspects at Government Medical College (GMC) in Jammu and Shri Maharaja Gulab Singh (SMGS) Hospital, and directed hospital authorities to follow proper guidelines.

He said that government is closely monitoring the situation and effective measures are being put in place to contain the virus in Jammu and Kashmir.

Dulloo said there was no shortage of safety masks and other equipments.

Seven medicine stores have been closed for indulging in overcharging for masks and other protective gears, he said, adding that the Drug Controller Organisation has been activated to keep a check on such malpractice.

In India, 73 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been detected.