Coronavirus Outbreak: Kashmir confirms third death; J&K tally stands at 125

In the midst of the Coronavirus outbreak that has engulfed the country, Jammu and Kashmir recorded its third death on March 7. The number of cases in the union territory now stands at 125, with 15 cases reported on Tuesday. 

The 54-year-old, who succumbed to COVID-19, was a resident of South Kashmir's Bandipora. He was reportedly undergoing treatment at the hospital in the area when he tested positive for Coronavirus. All three deaths of J&K have been recorded in the Kashmir valley.  A 65-year-old man from Srinagar was the first fatality in Kashmir on March 26 followed by another man of the same age from Tangmarg in Baramulla district who died on March 29. 

J&K government spokesperson Rohit Kansal on Tuesday updated that the union territory currently has 118 active Coronavirus cases, among the 15 new cases reported on Tuesday--six are from Jammu and nine from Kashmir.  Aggressive contact tracing of new cases has been initiated, while some new areas have been declared as containment zones in Srinagar. Reportedly, 4 people have been discharged, meanwhile, over 32,000 people have been placed under surveillance. 

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Jammu and Kashmir Financial Commissioner, Health and Medical Education, Atal Dulloo said on Tuesday that the authorities are making efforts to strengthen the testing capacity for screening COVID-19 patients in the Union Territory. Currently, J&K is equipped with four laboratories for testing samples.

2G internet services extended in J&K

The restriction on mobile internet services in Jammu and Kashmir was once again extended by authorities until April 15, despite the soaring demand for high speed 4G mobile data services in the thick of the global Coronavirus outbreak. The order dated April 3 cited 'misuse of data services'  and spread of provocative videos to induce terrorism for the extension of internet speed restrictions.

Justifying its order for the extension, the J&K administration cited intelligence inputs of attempts by 'anti-national elements' to propagate ideologies through the transmission of fake news to cause discontent and coordinate acts of terror. It further claimed that the change in domicile law in J&K to have the 'potential to be exploited.  as one of its reasons for the order. 

The 2G internet facility on mobile phones was restored in Jammu and Kashmir on January 25, 2020, after remaining suspended for five months, since the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019. As per the order, the internet service providers were asked to ensure only white-listed sites, and not social media networks. The Jammu and Kashmir police have registered an FIR against unknown people for using VPNs to gain access to social networking sites. 

(With PTI inputs) 

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