Abid Bashir
Srinagar (NVI): The Jammu and Kashmir government administration today decided to re-open all the public parks and gardens across the Union Territory from tomorrow amid strict Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs) in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic.
The decision in this regard was taken in a review meeting chaired by Advisor to the J&K Lieutenant Governor, Baseer Ahmad Khan. Khan, while speaking to NVI said that all the public parks and gardens shall re-open from tomorrow.
“We have decided to re-open all the parks and gardens across Jammu and Kashmir from tomorrow. People are, however, supposed to follow SoPs in spirit that includes wearing of masks and maintaining social distancing,” he said, adding carrying a hand sanitizer is also part of the SoP.
All the parks and gardens were closed for the general public in March this year in wake of COVID-19 outbreak in Jammu and Kashmir, which has claimed over 139 lives and infected nearly 9,000 people so far. The first announcement of the closure of parks and gardens in Srinagar was made by former Srinagar Municipal Corporation Mayor Junaid Azim Mattoo on March 11.
People in Kashmir, including the summer capital Srinagar, have been visiting gardens in the past over a week during evening hours in the wake of a rise in temperatures. The MeT department last week recorded 34.5 degrees Celsius day temperature, the season’s hottest day. In summers, especially in the peak months of July and August, people of Kashmir often visit parks and gardens during evening hours.
-ARK
