Authorities order partial lockdown in Srinagar to combat Covid-19; over 60 containment zones designated

Authorities on Sunday ordered a partial lockdown in Srinagar by designating over 60 containment zones amid a surge in coronavirus cases over the past week, officials said.

The lockdown will be imposed in 68 containment zones of the city from Monday and no movement would be allowed in these areas without permission, they said.

“In view of the major spike in Covid-19 cases, we will have to carve out containment zones for effective restrictions in different areas of Srinagar. Local cooperation is solicited in best interest of public health,” District Magistrate, Srinagar, Shahid Iqbal Choudhary said.

He confirmed the reimposition of the lockdown.

The decision to reimpose the lockdown in these areas of city was taken at a meeting late Saturday evening, the officials said. The city has witnessed a spike in the number of coronavirus cases over the past one week. The total number of positive cases has reached 1,611, out of which 1,075 are active.

While the union territory administration had first announced a lockdown across Jammu and Kashmir on March 22 as part of its efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus, restrictions were imposed in many parts of the valley, including in the city, on March 19 after the UT saw its first positive case from Srinagar.

The lockdown was then gradually eased in June and the markets in the city reopened after about three months in the second week of June.