Kashmir: 48 people who came in contact with COVID-19 patient put in quarantine

Forty-eight people, who h come in contact with first coronavirus fatality in Kashmir, are in quarantine and authorities are in touch with states visited by man to track those who may have been infected by him, an official said on Thursday.

65-year-old man, hailing from Hyderpora area of city here, died on Thursday morning -- becoming first fatality in Jammu and Kashmir due to coronavirus.

Four of his contacts in valley – all from rth Kashmir's Bandipora district -- also tested positive on Wednesday.

" person attended religious garings in New Delhi, Deoband (in Uttar Presh), Jammu, Samba, Sopore and n he came back here (Srinagar) and was mitted to a chest diseases hospital where he expired," Director, Health Services, Kashmir, Samir Matoo told PTI.

Matoo said "naturally" person must have come in contact with a lot of people at places he travelled to.

He said health department has tracked people of valley infected person h come in contact with and all of m have been put in quarantine and were under surveillance.

"We have tracked se 48 persons and y have been put in quarantine," he said.

Asked if man can be called a "super-spreer" for likely infecting several ors, director said: "See, re is description as such for a super-spreer, but he has visited so many places, so he has been spreing it (infection) also."

Matoo said health department is in touch with authorities in or places visited by him to enable tracking of people who would have come in contact with him.

"We do t kw number of people he has come in contact with outside Jammu and Kashmir but we are in touch with authorities re," he said.