Srinagar: After a month-long lockdown imposed to reduce the intensity of the spread in the ongoing second wave of covid-19 pandemic, markets reopened on Monday across Jammu & Kashmir under the unlock guidelines issued on last Sunday announced by the Jammu & Kashmir Government and implemented by Deputy Commissioners in their concerned districts .
According to the new unlock guidelines shops will remain open only on alternate day and passenger transport services shall operated with 50 per cent seating capacity in the Orange category districts, but will remain shut in the Red category districts. With a major dip in the positive cases and deaths of covid patients recorded daily across Jammu & Kashmir, the administration on Sunday announce the schedule for unlock to allow operation of some public activities at reduced level by limiting the corona curfew to nights and weekends only.
The unlock schedule was announced amid the case positivity rate falling to 6.2 per cent from 13 and the daily COVID-19 sliding down to an all-time high of 5,500 to 2,200 in the past two weeks. While deciding to relax the corona curfew, the Jammu and Kashmir ”State” Executive Committee (JKSEC), however, choose to keep all educational institutions, including the private coaching centres, closed till June 15. The authorities also choose to keep all cinema halls, multiplexes, clubs, gyms, spas and paid parks closed till further orders.
Half of the 10 districts in Kashmir valley — Pulwama, Anantnag, Baramulla, Budgam and Kupwara — have been put under Red Zone category, while the other half — Srinagar, Shopian, Ganderbal, Kulgam and Bandipora — have been placed in the Orange category.
Meanwhile, policemen in the twin capital cities Srinagar and Jammu and major towns were seen regulating the implementation of covid appropriate behaviour in the partially opened markers and at places police was seen even using the public address system to implement strictly the covid appropriate behaviour in the marks and at the parking places.
According to the new guidelines, the complete corona night curfew will remain imposed from 8.00 P.M to 7.00 A.M while there will be a weekend curfew from 8 P.M Friday till 7.00 A.M Monday. It may be mentioned here that Jammu & Kashmir Government had on April 29 imposed a curfew in 11 districts to reduce the intensity of an unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases, which was subsequently extended to all the 20 districts the next day.
The curfew, which was imposed initially till May 3, was then extended after assessing the situation across Jammu & Kashmir.
