The Deputy Commissioner (DC) Bandipora, Dr Owais Ahmad on Tuesday said that more than 65 percent of the 18-44 Years Age Group has been vaccinated so far in the district and urged the remaining population to get vaccinated at earliest.While briefing Media about the covid status in the district, the DC said the vaccination campaign is going in full swing in every nook and corner of the district wherein the teams are visiting every doorstep to ensure every eligible person is vaccinated. He said that the Covid-19 situation is improving gradually and the positivity rate has gone down to 0.2 percent in the past few weeks. He attributes the satisfactory parameters to extensive sampling, rigorous contact tracing, mass vaccination and strict implementation of CAB. He said there are 29 active positive cases in the district out of which only one patient is in hospital isolation and all the patients are stable and doing well.Superintendent of Police Mohammad Zahid also addressed the media on the occasion and urged the people to follow CAB. He appreciated the cooperation of the people they lent since last year to tackle the pandemic.
He however said that it was witnessed from the past few weeks that people are not following CAB properly. He said the pandemic is not over yet and hence we cannot afford to lower the guard. He said a small mistake can prove fatal and urged the people to continue to adopt preventive measures including use of face masks, social distancing etc.The SSP said that the Joint teams have intensified patrols to ensure that the CAB is followed. He warned of action against violation and urged people not to force the teams to take action and ensure the SOPs are followed in letter and spirit. He urged people to wear face masks and avoid visiting crowded areas unnecessarily.Meanwhile, Chairman District Development Council Bandipora Abdul Gani Bhat and Vice-Chairperson DDC, Kounser Shafeeq also appealed to people not to lower their guard against Covid-19.They said the situation may again go out of control if the CAB is not followed. They said people cannot afford a third lockdown. “So the best option is to take all the precautionary measures to avoid the situation going out of control,” they added.They also appealed to people to get vaccinated as soon as possible.