First 100-bedded Covid care center set up in JK's Bhaderwah

A 100-bed COVID care centre, the first in Doda district, was set up at Bhaderwah University campus here on Tuesday amid the Jammu and Kashmir government having started bringing back Union Territory's students and migrant workers stuck up elsewhere in the country.

Over 6,300 workers and hundreds of students, hailing from Doda district, are stranded outside J&K due to country-wide corona lockdown and are expected to be brought back to their home district in coming days.

To meet their mandatory quarantine and ease out the pressure on hospitals, the district administration made the first 100- bed COVID-19 care wellness centre functional at the Institute of Mountain Environment at the University Campus, the officials said.

"The stranded labourers have started pouring into the Bhaderwah valley from different places while the administration has also initiated the return of students from Kota in Rajasthan and elsewhere.

So to ease out the pressure on the hospital, we made a 100- bed COVID-19 care center functional at the varsity campus," Bhadarwahs Additional District Commissioner Rakesh Kumar said.

He said the centre is equipped with all facilities and has been properly sanitized.

The sanitization was carried out early in the morning, while a couple of food safety officers have also been deployed at the centre.

"We are taking utmost care of SOPs of the quarantined persons since March 28. We are maintaining the nutritional value of the food served and also rotating the menu," Dodas Assistant Commissioner (Food Safety) Tariq Ahmed Butt said.