The Jammu and Kashmir government is considering delivering ration to people in order to avoid mass gatherings at ration depots in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The proposal was discussed on Sunday in a meeting chaired by Baseer Khan, advisor to the Lt Governor of J&K G.C. Murmu. The meeting was attended by deputy commissioners (DC) of 10 districts in Kashmir, Kashmir Inspector General of Police Vijay Kumar, SSPs, and senior health department officials.
Khan directed the DCs to work out a plan for door-to-door distribution of ration and other essential commodities to consumers to avoid long queues and large gatherings at ration depots.
The DCs have been asked to send their plan within three days to divisional commissioner of Kashmir for further action.
Khan has also directed the DCs to increase the number of quarantine rooms for COVID-19 patients with requisite facilities in their respective districts and ensure availability of doctors, nurses and paramedical staff, in case of exigency.
At the meeting, it was informed that daily surveillance of Respiratory Tract Infection cases in 10 districts is going on and Rapid Response Teams (RRT) are in place in every district. Samples are being collected and the data analysed, and cluster cases are also being investigated.
The officials were also apprised of the stock of masks, Personal Protective Equipment, VTMs and other equipment, and the functioning of 24x7 district control rooms.
The situation is said to be under control and health institutions are ready to combat any exigency, it was learnt at the meeting.
The advisor directed the DCs to classify their respective districts into zones and tackle issues on a priority basis. He also called for imparting training to police and employees of district administration on tackling COVID-19 infected or suspected persons. He urged the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) and Urban Local Body (ULB) employees to ensure the implementation of sanitation and fumigation drives across Kashmir.
Khan urged the DCs to involve Panchs, Sarpanchs, UBL employees and tehsildars as well in the process of identifying people who have recently arrived from outside the valley and have not been screened.
All district SSPs have been asked to arrest those who are not abiding by the rules or are indulging in rumour-mongering under relevant sections of law, IGP Kumar said.
Srinagar DC Shahid Iqbal Choudhary informed the meeting that the district administration has identified 3,800 rooms in 64 three-star hotels and other necessary facilities.