Srinagar: Restrictions were reimposed in Srinagar city as well as in other parts of Kashmir valley on Monday due to a spike in Covid-19 cases coupled with increasing death rate among the patients.
In Srinagar, strict restrictions were put in place in all the notified containment zones, while public movement was restricted except for essential services and medical emergencies.
Since morning, the authorities began sealing most of the roads and market places, including the business hub of Lal Chowk.
All markets remained closed except for essential services like medical shops and grocery stores. The roads wore a deserted look with little traffic movement.
Barricades were erected at all the main entry points to the city. Government forces were deployed to enforce the restrictions in many areas of the city.
The district administration has identified about 100 containment zones across the city to effectively contain the spread of coronavirus.
Locals said that the entry and exit points of all the containment zones were sealed, and monitored by authorities, to ensure strict enforcement of restrictions on public movement.
The district administration has also issued orders for cancelling of all leaves of government officials in the district, directing them to attend their duties regularly.
Further, the fine for not wearing mask in public has been doubled to Rs 1,000 and the fine for violating protocol in containment zones has been raised to Rs 10,000.
In district Ganderbal, where 40 new cases were reported on Sunday, the district administration announced re-imposition of restrictions from Monday.
Throughout the day, all the business establishments remained shut, while public transport remained off the roads except for essential services.
In Anantnag district, the authorities enforced strict restrictions for the second day on Monday. Since the lockdown was imposed on Sunday morning, all the business establishments and transport services were shut across the district.
The district administration later in the day formally announced imposition of restrictions across the district, banning all business activities and public movement except for essential services and medical emergencies.
To restrict the movement of people, barricades were erected at all the main routes in the district, sources said. Huge deployment of forces was seen on roads and naka points to ensure public movement remains restricted.
On Sunday, a video had gone viral on social media in which the authorities were announcing lockdown in Pahalgam, asking tourists to vacate within two hours.
In Pulwama district, Covid-19 restrictions were intensified and lockdown imposed in containment zones on Monday. An official statement issued in this regard said that restrictions under the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897, Section 144 of the CrPC, and Disaster Management Act, 2005 were already in place in the district and there would be no inward and outward movement of any person from the villages declared as containment zones and people shall stay indoors to ensure complete lockdown.
The intensifying of restrictions was announced after a rise in Covid-19 positive cases from the district, the statement added.
It added that all shops/ business establishments in Pulwama have been directed to remain closed this week except for essential supplies.
Public transport shall also remain suspended till July 18 (Saturday) except medical emergencies and essential services, the statement said.

KALEEM GEELANI