2 more cases: Kashmir authorities ask people not to panic (Ld)

Srinagar, March 24 (IANS) After two more persons tested positive on Tuesday for COVID-19 taking the tally to seven, the authorities in the Kashmir Valley asked people not to panic.

One of the two locals who tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday in Srinagar had travel history abroad while the other was in direct contact with people who came to India from abroad.

Authorities had advised people not to panic in light of this development as adequate precautions have been taken to ensure the safety of the residents in Srinagar city and other parts of the union territory.

“People are advised to strictly observe the restrictions and stay home so that the spread of the virus is checked and the number of affected persons is kept at the lowest”, officials said.

A resident of Natipora uptown locality of Srinagar city, who tested positive, had travelled to Srinagar from Saudi Arabia in the same flight on March 16 in which the woman who tested positive earlier had travelled.

The other infected patient, belonging to the Hyderpora locality of Srinagar, had been part of an Islamic preaching group that included others from Indonesia and Malaysia.

It is feared that the one local who tested positive and belonged to the Hyderpora locality could have come into contact with many others after he arrived back home.

With two more cases testing positive, the number of such cases in the valley has risen to three while the total number in Jammu and Kashmir has gone up to seven.

–IANS

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