Coronavirus: All educational institutes in Jammu and Kashmir shut till March 31

The Jammu and Kashmir administration has decided that all public and private educational institutions will suspend their classes till March 31. However, board and competitive examinations will take place as per schedule.

Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir administration has ordered closure of all educational institutes across the union territory till March 31 as a precautionary measure amid the coronavirus scare.

Cinema halls in all the 10 districts of Jammu division will also remain closed till March 31, officials said.

While only one person has tested positive for the contagious coronavirus in the union territory, one man with high viral-load has been reported and his samples have been sent to the National Centre for Disease Control in New Delhi, they said.

"All schools, colleges and universities of Jammu and Kashmir to suspend teaching and class work till March 31," Director National Health Mission (NHM), Bhupinder Kumar, told reporters here.

However, board and competitive examinations will be conducted as per schedule, he added.

"COVID19 JammuAndKashmir Cinema Halls in all 10 districts of Jammu province to remain closed till March 31," Principal Secretary, Information, Rohit Kansal tweeted.

As many as 1,211 travellers and people in contact with suspected cases have been put under active surveillance, the NHM director said, adding that 150 of these have completed surveillance period of 28 days and 12 are under hospital quarantine.

He said 64 samples of suspected cases have been sent for testing so far and 28 of them have reported negative. Of the earlier two cases that were reported with high viral-load, one has tested positive and another is being re-tested, while reports of 35 people are awaited, he said.

Spelling out measures being taken up to contain the coronavirus spread, the NHM director said the union territory has strengthened the surveillance and control measures against the disease and helpline numbers have already been established for advice and assistance in this regard.

Besides, coronavirus lab testing facilities have been started in Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Srinagar, and Government Medical College, Jammu.

Control rooms and surveillance teams have been constituted in all districts of the union territory to meet any sort of eventuality, he said.

Kumar said universal self-declaration has been made mandatory at Jammu and Srinagar airports. Besides, screening of travellers has also been started at Lakhanpur and Lower Munda toll posts as well as Jammu, Katra and Udhampur Railway stations.

He assured people that the whole situation is being monitored and reviewed very closely at all levels.

He asked people, especially those with travel history to affected countries such as China, Italy, Iran, South Korea etc, to self declare immediately and report to the nearest government health facility if any symptoms are found.

With inputs from PTI