Anantnag: With the tally of COVID-19 positive cases way over 300 now, Anantnag district continues to be at the top of the list across Jammu and Kashmir even as the district administration has now taken a flurry of steps to curb the spread.

The total number of cases in Anantnag presently stand at 338, 44 more than Kulgam district, which is second in the list of most affected districts.

Anantnag district was the last in south Kashmir region to register a positive case of COVID-19 on April 16. In just over a month-and-a-half, the district has risen to top with five Covid deaths apart from the positive cases.

“The spread at the District Police Lines (DPL), where more than 80 positive cases were registered was a huge jolt. It has considerably increased the number of cases in the district,” a senior official in the district administration told Kashmir Reader.

The relief however is that not many travellers returning home have tested positive in the district in contrast to the neighboring Kulgam district where more than 75 percent cases travellers recorded positive.

“It has been a huge relief, otherwise the case tally here could have been much worse. We have only 27 cases from among the people who came back home,” the official said adding that another relief was the recovery part.

The official informed Kashmir Reader that Anantnag district has so far 122 recoveries, which means the number of active positive cases stands at 216.

The district administration, meanwhile, has been taking some immediate steps to curb further spread of the virus. The lockdown has been made more stringent while most of the earlier issued passes have been declared null and void to prevent unnecessary movement across the district.

Besides, the district administration is also stepping up the testing process and is planning to do it in an organized manner.

An order issued by the administration (CMO/COVID-19/1166-70 dated May 30) ordered for testing “service providers” starting May 31.

“Yesterday butchers were tested. Local bakers will be tested on June 2 followed by vegetable vendors on June 4 and media fraternity on June 6,” a health official said, adding that the samples will be collected at a government school premises in Khannabal area of Anantnag town.

Another order was issued on Sunday (number 80 0f 2020), from the Deputy Commissioner’s office, which instructs sampling and testing of personnel working in clinical establishments.

“The decision was taken after reverse contact tracing of COVID-19 positive pregnant ladies revealed that they have visited various clinical/medical establishments. It points out that these establishments might be the source of infection,” the order reads.

It further reads that all the employees of these establishments, including private nursing homes will be tested for the COVID-19. Besides, the establishments have been asked to sanitize and fumigate their premises.

“They should remain closed till satisfactory reports/evaluation by the health and monitoring committee constituted by this office,” the order added.

Whether these steps taken by the district administration will suffice to curb the rising graph of the infection in this south Kashmir district or not remains to be seen.

For now, the only way the graph seems to be going is upward.

Suhail A Shah