On Thursday, 21 policemen were among 59 people who tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in Jammu & Kashmir — 51 in Kashmir and eight in Jammu, respectively. The total number of positive cases in Jammu & Kashmir is now at 1,449.
A total of 99 policemen have tested positive for the infection in the Valley, which constitutes 8% of the total cases detected so far. All 21 policemen were posted in a reserve camp set up at the Higher Secondary School in Chawalgam, Kulgam, for the past three months, according to the police.
Interactive map of confirmed coronavirus cases in India
An official said contact tracing has been started as Kulgam is the second hotspot in the Valley after Anantnag’s District Police Line — eight personnel at the Anantnag District Police Line tested positive on May 13. In the next four days, 70 more persons tested positive, including an officer.
Dr. Peerzada Farhat, Nodal Officer (Contact Tracing), said one Special Police Officer’s (SPO) brother was a carrier and the policeman a “super spreader”. “The SPO’s brother had travelled from Jammu and he tested positive,” said Dr. Farhat.
Two pregnant women were also among those infected, taking the number of positive pregnant women to 40 in Kashmir, an official said.
Two women die
Two women have died due to COVID-19 in the past 24 hours in Kashmir, taking the toll to 20.
“An 80-year old from Usmania Colony, Bemina, was admitted to a hospital with bilateral pneumonia and hypertension on May 19. Another woman was suffering from Chronic Obstructive Disorder (COPD) and Restrictive Lung Disease and was admitted on May 15,” Dr. Mohammad Salim Khan, Nodal Officer, said.
83,334 return home
The J&K government said it had arranged 23 COVID-19 special trains and three flights to bring back residents of J&K stranded outside the Union Territory due to the lockdown. So far, 83,334 J&K residents have been brought back to the UT through these modes, an official said.
“100% sampling of returnees is being done at the kiosks established at railway stations. It is being ensured that during the boarding and de-boarding process, passengers observe social distancing and wear masks,” the official said.