The Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Pandurang K Pole, today, directed all the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) to track-down all absconding travelers on war footing basis in their respective districts and put them in administrative quarantine.All Deputy Commissioners were asked to strengthen their ground surveillance teams and trace the absconding recent travelers, of other states and abroad visitors, immediately and put them for proper screening and quarantine.Additional Deputy Commissioners have been put in-charge of contact tracing and they are following the mechanism as per prescribed Advisory.Div Com directed the DDC’s to setup separate helpline numbers for Cancer, Dialysis patients and other serious patients at all district headquarters immediately so that life saving treatment will be ensured for them at an earliest.He further directed DCs to constitute teams under CMOs who shall visit Juvenile, old age homes and orphanages alternatively for health checkups of the inmates besides establishing separate dedicated helpline numbers for their services in each district.The Divisional Commissioner passed these directions while chairing a meeting to review preparedness and fool proof arrangements to combat Corona virus disease in the valley.Div Com sought detailed feedback from all DCs regarding arrangements against COVID-19 pandemic through video conferencing.
The meeting was informed that samples collected from Baramullah, Kupwara, Bandipora, Gamderbal and Budgam are tested at SKIMS Soura and samples collected from Srinagar, Pulwama, Shopian, Anantnag and Kulgam are being tested at CD hospital, Dalgate.Pole directed them to take employees from non-essential departments and deploy them at Block, Tehsil and District level for COVID-19 related emergency tasks. Adequate number of officials will be earmarked for Red Zones, Hospital Isolation, Administrative and Home quarantines which will monitor their smooth functioning. Officials should submit the daily based report to the concerned Deputy Commissioner for further course of necessary action.He stressed to DCs to enforce lock down and social distancing in letter & spirit. Concerned should maintain high level of vigil and alertness regarding COVID-19 scare across the valley and take quick action against any emergency.Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Dr Shahid Iqbal, Divisional Level OSDs, Owais Ahmad and Aijaz Assad, Director Health Services, Dr. Sameer Matto, Deputy Director, Health Services and other concerned officers were present in the meeting where as nine Deputy Commissioners participate the meeting through video conferencing mode.