SRINAGAR: The other Kashmir, straddling the Line of Control (LoC) may not have a crowd, noisy Eid, this year, reports in Pakistani media suggest.
The Muzaffarabad government has announced the imposition of lockdown from May 8 to May 16, apparently owing to Covid-19. “All businesses and shops would remain closed during the lockdown except those dealing with essential services and commodities,” Dawn newspaper quoted a notification saying. “The businesses that have been allowed to operate round the clock include pharmacies, medical facilities and vaccination centres, fuel stations, tyre repair shops, tandoors and dairy shops, takeaways, e-commerce (home delivery), utility services, such as electricity, natural gas, internet, telecommunications networks, and media.”
Tourist activities have also been banned.
The decision followed an “alarming spike” in various areas. In the week ending May 5, the Dawn reported, as many as 652 out of 4738 suspected persons had tested positive for Covid-19, putting the positivity ratio to almost 14 percent. The week saw 24 deaths as well.
Cumulatively, the region has seen 17583 Covid-19 positive cases of whom 15011 had recovered and 494 died, Right now, 2078 are undergoing treatment, 1998 at homes and 80 in the health facilities.
