Two days after declaring new containment zones in Srinagar, the district administration on Monday imposed a strict curfew in some parts of the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir for 10 days amid a spike in COVID positive cases.

Srinagar has once again emerged as a COVID hotspot in the Union Territory. During the last 10 days, Srinagar city is continuously recording over 50 percent of the total COVID positive cases tested across the Union Territory.

On Monday, Jammu and Kashmir recorded 111 fresh COVID cases, 19 from Jammu province and 92 from Kashmir Valley. Out of total 111 cases across J&K, 44 cases were reported from the Srinagar district alone.

District Magistrate Srinagar Muhammad Aijaz Asad, while announcing the imposition of Corona curfew in some parts of the capital city, said that despite declaring some areas as micro containment zones, the city is witnessing a spike in fresh cases.

Curfew imposed in five wards of Srinagar city

According to an order issued by Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, curfew has been imposed in five administrative wards of Srinagar. Areas, where Corona curfew has been imposed, included Bota Kadal, Umar Colony, Bhagwan Pura, Moulvi Stop, and Mill Stop. All these areas fall under Lal Bazar.

Curfew has also been imposed in Shan Anwar Colony, Green Avenue Colony, Noorani Colony, Hamdania Colony, Tawheed Awad Colony, Mathan, Hamdania Colony (Bamina), Housing Colony, Bilal Colony, and SDA Colony.

Srinagar emerges as COVID hotspot

Earlier on Saturday, the district administration had declared eight more micro containment zones under medical zones of Batamaloo, Zadibal, S R Gunj, and Khanayar to prevent the spread of the virus in the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir.

Areas that were declared as containment zones include Milat Abad, Peerbagh, near Islamic Public School and Noorani Colony Peerbagh in Medical Zone Batamaloo, Upper Soura, near Petrol Pump, Bilal Colony Soura, near Bilal Masjid and Bota Kadal, near Dara ul Aloom Bilaliya in Medical Zadibal zone, Zaina Kadal near Gagar Masjid in Medical zone S R Gunj and Buchwara and Batwara areas in Khanyar medical zone in the district.

Corna curfew shall continue for ten days.

According to the order issued by Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, curfew has been imposed for 10 days in these localities to check the spread of the virus.

"All essential services including all incidental services and activities needed for smooth functioning of these activities shall be allowed to continue both in the public and private sector. Standalone groceries/vegetable/milk/meat shops may also remain open and functional to ensure provisioning of essential supplies from 07:00 AM to 11:00 AM only," the order reads.

Lal chowk Kashmir
Image credits: Basit Zargar @basitzargar/Twitter

"There shall be 24 hours complete Corona curfew with no movement of people except for permissible activities only," it said, adding that all shopping complexes, bazaars, saloons, barber shops, cinema halls, restaurants, sports complexes, Gym, Spas, swimming pools, parks, zoos, etc if any, shall remain closed.

J&K records three deaths, 111 fresh cases

The Jammu and Kashmir on Monday recorded three deaths and 111 fresh positive cases taking the number of total active cases in the Union Territory to 1,165.

With three more deaths, the death toll in the UT has reached 4,443 and 111 fresh positive cases reported on Monday have pushed the tally of positive cases to 333,187. Among 111 new cases, 92 cases were reported from the Kashmir division while 19 were from the Jammu division.

As per official data, the total number of active cases in the Union Territory is 1,165 including 1,030 from the Kashmir division and 135 from the Jammu division.