Sajid Raina
Bandipora : A fresh wave of panic gripped north Kashmir’s Bandipora district after at least 45 nonlocal workers tested positive after large scale sampling initiative started by the administration.
An official told News agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that at least 45 non local labourers who recently came to Bandipora for to earn a living were found infected with the pendemic after the large scale testing was started by the administration to test the non-JK residents living in rented accommodations.
He said that the whole locality where positive cases were reported have been sealed and patients were shifted to level second Covid-19 hospital Pazalpora, Bandipora for treatment.
“Further samples are being taken randomly for testing while people have been also advised to stay at homes and inform at the helpline number if they exhibit any symptoms, ” the official said. “Most of the new patients are asymptomatic. We are sending nearly 400 random samples every day for testing.”
Speaking to KNO, Tehsildar Bandipora Rouf Iqbal said that the number of covid cases in the district have been increasing rapidly in the last few days following which a strict curfew was imposed in the entire area.
If the number of cases increases in the coming days, the strict curfew will remain in force in the area, he said. He said, the health department started mass sampling at about six places in the town today, during which hundreds of locals, including non-local workers, were sampled.
However, locals blamed the administration and said that no inspection was carried out by the management on the arrival of the non-local workers. “Now the general public here is also at risk of contracting the virus as the workers are roaming freely without observing the quarantine period,” they alleged.
“When these non-local workers came I talked to them and they said we have not been checked anywhere by the administration,” said a local, adding these labourers are being ferried in violation of all guidelines and SOPs, risking the lives of general public.
When contracted Chief medical officer Bandipora(CMO), Dr. Bashir Ahmad Khan said that every non local who has come here is being tested.
“We are keeping an eye on the outsiders and our health staff is implementing a good strategy through which we will reach every non local who has come from outside,” he said.
The CMO said that they have now sealed off the entire area and everyone is being tested for covid-19 through which we will know the situation in the next two days.
Deputy Commissioner, Bandipora Owais Ahmad did not respond to repeated calls for his comments on the issue—(KNO)
