Doctors among 34 tested positive

SHYAM SOOD
Rajouri April 20:–Despite repeated directions to follow Covid-19 guidelines & continuous rise in Covid-19 cases, the people in Rajouri district, especially in the towns, openly violating Covid-19 guidelines/ SOPs & thus putting their and other’s lives at high risk.

With 34 more persons tested positive today, including two doctors (GMC) & two contacts of an already positive doctor, the tally of Covid-19 positive cases has reached 200 in the district.
Overcrowding in the passenger vehicles, in the markets, in the functions, not wearing mask, etc is still going on without action.
On Saturday, 11 teachers of Government Girls Higher Secondary School (GGHS) including principal and a headmaster and non-teaching staffer of a government high school were tested positive in the RAT testing.
“On Friday a teacher was tested positive in the GGHSS and next day the whole staff was called for contact testing and 8 more teachers were found infected. The school has been closed for a week,” said Ch. Gulzar Hussain, CEO.
All the teachers have been sent for home isolation. Following a large number of persons tested positive in the Deoli village under Sunderbani health block, the village has been declared a micro containment zone and aggressive tracing & testing is in progress in the other affected areas under this block.
After a steep rise in Covid-19 cases for the last few days, the District Administration has plugged all the entry points of Rajouri district and check posts have been established.
A health team present at one such point on Budhal-Mahore (Reasi district) complaint that no arrangement has been made by the Police/Revenue departments and the team faced many problems in implementing the order.
District Magistrate, Rajesh Kumar Shavan, KAS, has issued an order and said that nobody will be allowed to enter the district without testing.
These check posts have been established at Sunderbani, Teryath, Budhal (for Jammu & Reasi districts), and Dehra-ki-Gali & Dehrirelyote (for Poonch & Kashmir).
Keeping in view the increasing number of Covid-19 cases, the District Administration is in the process to introduce work from home with 50% staff’s presence in the offices on a rational basis.
“Coming days are very crucial for the authorities because there is no proper frisking of the vehicles, persons, especially those returning from Kumbh celebrations, and sudden spike in Covid cases can’t be ruled out” said reliable sources.
On the other hand, with the beginning of important festivals like Chaitra Navratri and Ramadan, a large number of people (about 50%) avoiding the vaccination.