2 more test positive for COVID-19 in Kashmir

By Nusrat Sidiq

SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir (AA) - The Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday reported two more confirmed cases of the coronavirus, taking the tally to six.

The confirmation came as the government spokesman Rohit Kansal said on Twitter two more positive cases from the region’s main city Srinagar were reported.

One of the patients had a travel history to Saudi Arabia while other had returned from India’s capital New Delhi after participating in a religious gathering attended by people from Indonesia and Malaysia as well.

Shahid Choudhary, deputy commissioner in the city, appealed to the people in the region especially travelers having travel history to the coronavirus-hit countries to voluntarily report to medical authorities in order to help stem the spread of the virus.

As of now three persons from Kashmir region and three from Jammu region have tested positive for the deadly virus, with over 3,000 persons under observation.

As a precautionary measure, the government in the region has already placed strict restrictions on the movement of people, sealing all borders and air traffic, and has advised people not to move out from their homes.

To combat COVID-19, the government today in the region decided to hire retired doctors for one year, while the administration called volunteers to work along with doctors and medical staff on the ground.

A complete lockdown since last week is being witnessed in the region after the first case was reported. Meanwhile, religious heads in the region advised locals to pray at home and stay indoors.

The coronavirus emerged in Wuhan, China last December and has spread to at least 169 countries and territories. The WHO has declared the outbreak a pandemic.

The number of confirmed cases worldwide has now surpassed 392,300, while the death toll is more than 17,100, according to data compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

Despite the rising number of cases, most who become infected suffer only mild symptoms and recover.

- Disputed region

Kashmir is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.

Since they were partitioned in 1947, the two countries have fought three wars -- in 1948, 1965 and 1971 -- two of them over Kashmir.

Some Kashmiri groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or unification with neighboring Pakistan.

According to several human rights organizations, thousands of people have reportedly been killed in the conflict in the region since 1989.