KCCI expresses concern over rising of Coronavirus cases in Kashmir, says people violate protocol by visiting public parks, picnic spots

Srinagar: The business chamber in Kashmir has expressed concern over the increasing number of COVID-19 cases and the gross carelessness and violation of COVID protocols by people, especially in Srinagar.

A spokesperson of the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), in a statement on Monday, said that due to the onset of summer, there was a visible reduction in the wearing of masks in public places and also negligence in maintaining of safe social distances.

“People had started thronging public parks and picnic spots which was a matter of grave concern and alarm. The situation gets worse on weekends and holidays,” the spokesperson said.

He added that the first three months of the COVID pandemic resulted in the deaths of 64 people in Jammu and Kashmir.

“From 18 June onwards, 67 deaths have occurred in a span of only two weeks. The majority of the 127 deaths – 113 to be exact -have occurred in Kashmir. The Health Department has reported increase in the severe and symptomatic cases coming to hospitals,” the spokesperson said.

He said it was important to underline the importance of strictly following the COVID protocols as in many cases youth who themselves possess strong immune systems tend to infect other vulnerable sections of the society with weaker immune systems like the elderly or those with medical conditions.

The Chamber appealed to the members of the business community to renew the focus on strict adherence to regular sanitization and maintaining safe distances in their business establishments and markets.

“The Government had relaxed the guidelines to accommodate the genuine concerns of the business community but the responsibility of keeping the markets safe is to be equally shared by the respective business community as well,” he said.

KCC&I added that it needed to be noted that ignoring the threat of COVID could prove disastrous for the whole society.

The business leaders, elders of civil society and families are requested to play their role in controlling the serious ramifications of this invisible pandemic, it said.

The spokesperson reiterated the KCC&I’s earlier appeal to avoid unnecessary movement to the commercial areas as the basic idiom of “Stay Home Stay Alive” is still the best advice.

“In addition, measures like keeping a safe distance of 2 metres, frequent washing of hands, proper wearing of N95 Masks, avoiding touching of eyes, nose and mouth, avoiding touching unsafe surfaces had proven to greatly reduce the chances of getting infected. Please take them seriously as mistakes can be dangerous and inflict heavy costs for the whole community,” it said. (KM)