Abid Bashir
Srinagar (NVI): Strange but true, the district administration of Rajouri in Jammu region today sent a horse with a travel history from Kashmir into quarantine, stating that “it can’t take any risk.”
An official in Rajouri said that the caretakers of the horse have been directed to use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) while dealing with the horse.
They said that a team of police intercepted a man this evening who had travelled to Rajouri district from Kashmir along with his horse. “The man had travelled through Mughal Road to reach Rajouri district,” the official said. “He was intercepted along with the horse and immediately put under quarantine for having a travel history of over 200 kilometers.”
However, the authorities in Rajouri were in a dilemma. Tehsildar of Thanamandi, Rajouri, Anjuman Anjum Khatak invited the veterinary experts to get their views on the horse.
“Majority of the veterinary experts were of the belief that animals are not potential carriers of Covid 19 and that the horse be set free and kept in a stable,” official sources said. However, some experts suggested otherwise, stating that the horse be sent to quarantine and that “no risk should be taken.”
The final call was taken by the Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Rajouri, Sher Singh who decided that the horse be medically screened for body temperature.
“The caretakers of the horse were asked to deal with the animal after wearing Proper personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and that the horse is kept in an administrative quarantine where it will be monitored by veterinary experts for a period of four weeks,” Singh said, adding that the administration faced this case for the first time since the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic in the UT.
