Jammu: Amid reports of mutant coronavirus cases in some parts of the country, the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Wednesday extended the Covid-19 unlock measures by one month.
The state executive Committee (SEC) issued the order after the union home secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla, as chairperson national executive committee, on Monday issued guidelines for the implementation of extended lockdown in containment zones and continuation of unlock guidelines outside containment zones till January 31, 2021.
“As such…, the SEC hereby orders that the guidelines, instructions issued vide JK govt’s order 91 and 92 dated 29 November, 2020 shall continue to remain valid till 31-01-2021,” the SEC said in an order.
It said that all the existing protocols and instructions shall continue to remain valid till January 31,2021.
The instructions came after a few cases of mutant coronavirus which was first reported in the UK, were found among passengers who have returned to India from that country.
Meanwhile Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) sounded an alert on Wednesday and urged health authorities in Kashmir to prepare for the potential spread of the new strain of Covid-19 in the valley.
“New Covid-19 strain is knocking on our door. We need to be prepared and alert,” said DAK President and influenza expert Dr Nisar ul Hassan.
“The new variant is on the move and it can sneak in anytime,” he said.
“We have to prepare in advance to deal with the virus. Advance planning and preparedness is critical to help mitigate the impact of any eventuality.”
“We need to intensify surveillance activities and gear up hospitals to prevent an outbreak,” Dr Nisar said.
“The best way to prevent the virus is to stop it from coming in as once the virus enters the community it is difficult to control it.”
Covid-19 cases in Jammu and Kashmir have been showing a decline for the past few months after peaking in September.
On December 29, the Covid-19 tally in Jammu and Kashmir stood at 1,20,527 including 1,879 fatalities.
