Coronavirus not conspiracy but a real threat, opening parks, Yatra confusing: Omar Abdullah

Srinagar: Cautioning people that COVID-19 was not some conspiracy to harass people, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said it is a real and serious threat.

However, he alleged that opening of parks, hotels and yatra (pilgrimage to holy Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas) send confused and mixed signals to people about the pandemic.

Taking to micro blogging site twitter, the vice president of the National Conference (NC) said, ‘These tweets by Doctors about #COVID19 should give all of us a reason to stop & reflect’.

He further said ‘COVID is not some conspiracy to harass us. It’s real & it’s serious. The government doesn’t help matters with its confused messaging & mixed signals vis a vis parks, hotels & yatra’.

He was reacting to a tweet by Dr Tariq Tramboo MD, FIPP, interventional pain specialist. Chairman of the scientific board, Spineloop International. CO inventor of loop technology for spinal stenosis which reads ‘Attention: Covid 19 spreading, like wild fire ,, overnight 20 young to Middle age pts (patients) admitted in SMHS with bilateral pneumonia and 10 in JNLM (Jawahar Lal Nehru Memobial) hopital, Protect yourself if you can because no one seems to care!.

Despite sharp increase in the COVID-19 cases, the government reopened all gardens and parks in the Union Territory (UT), including summer capital, Srinagar from Wednesday.

The Centre has also announced to go ahead with the annual Amarnath yatra in south Kashmir Himalayas, evoking sharp demand to reopen shrines and other religious places of all faiths in the valley.