Amid rising COVID cases, 3 marriage halls to be converted into quarantine centres

Srinagar, Jan 16: In view of rising COVID19 cases in the summer capital, authorities have decided to convert three marriage halls into quarantine centres as a part of contingency plan

As a part of the contingency plan, special teams have been set up for prompt sanitisation of containment areas.

Deputy Mayor Srinagar Parvaiz Qadri said that the identified centres are located at Barbarshah, Nowshera and Badu Bagh.

He added that it is part of the contingency plan. “These centres can be used as and when required,” he said.

He informed that all required equipments for these centres are ready and these all centres would be augmented with the bed capacity to function as adjunct facilities with main COVID hospitals, in case of need.

“The facilities at these centres include oxygen concentrators, clean washrooms, power backup and, round-the-clock doctors and paramedics for patients,” he said.

Srinagar has been one of the worst-hit districts by pandemic during first and second wave of the virus. Currently, Srinagar is again witnessing highest number of COVID19 cases.

With a surge in COVID19 cases, District Administration Srinagar has declared several areas as containment zones and over fifty localities as micro-containment zones in the summer capital to contain the virus.

The Deputy Mayor said that decontamination tunnels installed at various hospital entry and exit points are intact and the SMC engineers have recently conducted its safety audit.

“We are prepared and it is just a matter of turning switch on to make these decontamination tunnels functional. We will do that as and when such need arises,” he said while replying to a query.

SMC has already installed decontamination tunnels at entry and exit points of various hospitals in Srinagar. It sprays chemical water to decontaminate every person who goes through it.

“The SMC is taking measures to control the spread the COVID19 pandemic by sanitizing all the areas where people were found to be positive to the disease. Special focus has been laid over the area including the quarantine facilities and hospitals. We also appeal people to follow COVID19 safety guidelines as issued by experts from time to time,” Qadri said.