Jammu and Kashmir announces 34-hour curfew from 8 pm today to contain COVID-19 spread

Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir administration announced a 34-hour curfew from 8 pm on Saturday amid a surge in coronavirus cases in the Union Territory. “Complete corona curfew to be observed in the Union Territory from 8 pm, 24 April (Saturday) till 6 am, 26 April (Monday). Essential and emergency services to be allowed. All market, commercial institutions will remain closed,” the office of Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha said in a tweet. On 8 April, a night curfew from 10 pm to 6 am was imposed in the urban areas of eight districts, which was extended to the municipal and urban local body limits of all the 20 districts in the Union Territory on 20 April. Jammu and Kashmir’s tally of COVID-19 cases surged to 1,56,344 on Friday as 1,937 more people tested positive for the viral disease, while the death toll due to it climbed to 2,111 with a record daily jump of 19 fatalities, officials said. Besides extending the night curfew on 20 April, the administration had ordered the closure of 50 percent shops on alternate basis in municipal and urban areas and capped the passenger capacity in public transport at 50 percent. While the shopkeepers followed the order with some reservations, the transporters in the Jammu region went on an indefinite strike on 21 April, demanding a 50 percent hike in the passenger fare to save them from operational losses. The Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) appealed to the Union Territory administration to review its decision pertaining to the opening of 50 percent shops on alternate days, claiming that the schedule formulated by the administration is causing much inconvenience to both the trading community as well as the people at large. Demanding a review of the order, the trade body suggested that the shops and other establishments should be allowed to work daily from 10 am to 6 pm with a two-day weekend lockdown on Saturdays and Sundays. In view of the marriage season having commenced, the JCCI said people, especially those who have weddings in their families, are highly perturbed over this schedule, which needs an immediate review. Expressing similar views, the Federation of Traders’ Associations said there are some markets in Jammu that deal in single-stuff products and keeping the entire market closed on particular days causes great inconvenience to people. Meanwhile, the Nehru Market and Kanak Mandi wholesale markets in Jammu city remained voluntarily closed on Saturday. Ware House Nehru Market Traders’ Association president Deepak Gupta said the decision to observe a weekend lockdown was taken in view of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. However, he said the association does not support the administration’s decision of opening 50 percent of shops on alternate days as the move is not in favour of the general public and the traders.