J&K to religiously follow PM’s call for 'Janta Curfew' says Lt. Governor

The newly-formed union territory of Jammu and Kashmir will religiously follow the call of ‘Janta Curfew” given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the administration has urged the people to stay indoors. The Lt Governor of Jammu and Kashmir GC Murmu has appealed to the general public to make ‘Janta Curfew’ a success by observing it in letter and spirit on March 22, between 7 am and 9 pm during which, people should stay at home. He also urged people to encourage health care professionals, security personnel, and other essential services staff fighting COVID-19, by mass clapping, ringing bells, etc at 5 pm on March 22 as a mark of respect and motivation.

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Lt. Governer Murmu was speaking at a high-level review meeting held in Jammu to take stock of the preparedness in containing COVID-19. “This was the second high-level meeting in two days to review the status of preparedness for preventing the spread of coronavirus”, an official spokesman said.

Taking stock of preparedness

During the meeting, the Lt. Governor enquired about the arrangements made so far to tackle the threat of Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection and gave instructions in this regard for effective preventive and pre-emptive measures to senior officials across the UT. Murmu also asked the concerned officials to ensure adequate quarantine, isolation facilities, and equipment to deal with suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 as per the mandated protocol or standard operating procedure.

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Awareness campaign in rural areas

A spokesman said that the Lt Governor directed for the creation of adequate quarantine facilities in every district of Jammu and Kashmir, especially the two capital cities having a large population. "The Lt. Governor stated that raising awareness regarding the precautions in small towns and villages must be done on a war footing by involving religious leaders and Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs)," the official said.

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The Governor asked the Jammu Municipal Corporation to intensify the sanitation and disinfection drive in the city so that any kind of risk in the wake of COVID-19 is mitigated. To avoid rush and promote social distancing, the Lt. Governor asked the concerned officers to motivate the grocers to establish a mechanism for home delivery of grocery and other necessary commodities to minimize the risk.

The Lt Governor directed for adequate storage of essential commodities and asked the FCS&CA department to ensure adequate and timely distribution of food grains and other essential commodities to the lowest level.

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