Srinagar (NVI): To prevent coronavirus from spreading in Srinagar and report suspected cases effectively, Jammu and Kashmir administration has made elaborate arrangements in the district including a proper screening at the airport and separate quarantine and isolation facilities.
Beefed up screening at Srinagar airport and elsewhere, tens of surveillance teams, 30 quarantine and 4 isolation facilities, a testing facility at SKIMS are among a range of measures put in place to prevent the spreading of the deadly infection that has claimed around 3,800 lives around the world.
Starting at the Srinagar airport, the administration has beefed up screening arrangements, having set up five help-desks with strengthened support staff and is screening all arrivals including international and domestic travelers before allowing them to proceed to their respective destinations.
Special announcements and outreach are being made at the airport in order to ensure that no one escapes the screening process. Similar arrangements are being made at the railway station to identify those requiring screening and quarantining.
The suspected cases will be shifted to quarantine facilities that have been set up across the district. These facilities have been set up at different private hospitals and nursing homes in addition to healthcare centers located in different health zones of Srinagar.
The private hospitals and nursing homes where quarantine facilities have been established include Noora Hospital at HMT, Khyber Hospital at Khayam, Kidney Hospital at Sonwar, Ramzana Hospital at Gogji Bagh, Modern Hospital at Rajbagh, Sheikh ul Alam Hospital at Karan Nagar, Mubarik Hospital at Hyderpora, Florence Hospital at Chanpora, Shifa Medical Centre at Magarmal Bagh, Ahmad Hospital at Nowgam, Star Hospital at Nowgam and New City Hospital at Tengpora.
Other healthcare facilities where quarantine facilities have been set include MMC Sanatnagar, PHC Chanpora, MMC Noorbagh, JLNM Hospital Rainawari and Trauma Hospital Lawaypora.
Twelve hotels located in two different areas have also been earmarked as quarantine facilities to be used if required.
The administration has also set up isolation facilities where the affected or positive cases will be admitted for treatment. These have been set up at SKIMS Soura, SMHS, CD Hospital and SKIMS Bemina.
The government has also made a testing facility available at SKIMS Soura. The facility which was made operational today will be a significant help as it will help detect cases quickly and help in the overall assessment of the health situation.
In addition to these arrangements, the administration has constituted tens of surveillance teams comprising officials from different departments to help tackle the situation quickly and effectively. Besides other tasks, these teams will be tasked with finding out suspected cases and reporting them to health authorities for testing and treatment if required.
On the other hand, the health department has activated rapid response teams – one in each health zone of the district – across the district. These teams will be monitoring the situation round-the-clock and taking measures to prevent and control the spread of the virus.
These teams will be headed by concerned zonal medical officers who have been designated as nodal officers.
Meanwhile, a central room has been established at DC Office Srinagar to coordinate this elaborate response mechanism that has been put in place in the district.
Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, who is personally monitoring all these efforts, visited some of these facilities to inspect arrangements. He also chaired two meetings to sensitise the concerned officials and review the arrangements being made in the district in regard to preparedness for preventing the spread of the pathogen in the district.
Speaking on the occasion, he said the response mechanism to deal with this challenge has been activated across the district, adding these arrangements put in place in the district are all about prevention and must not lead to panic. He appealed for public cooperation in the matter while emphasising the importance of self-reporting and quarantining to prevent its spread. He also appealed to the media to report accurately and avoid misinformation that creates panic.
The administration is also actively conducting awareness campaigns through different mediums to help the general public be aware of precautions that need following to prevent spread or acquisition of the disease. Last week, the administration in the district also reached out to mosques and shrines in the district, J&K Government said in a statement.
Meanwhile, inspection drives are underway across the district to check the availability and pricing of personal protective equipment (PPE). Chemists and other such stores were inspected and fined across all seven tehsils of the district under strict instructions of the DC.
