Srinagar, July 7: Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Monday expressed concern at the increase in the number of COVID positive cases in the Valley.
A spokesperson of the traders’ body stated that reports of gross carelessness and violation of COVID protocols were coming from various districts, especially Srinagar.
“Due to the onset of summer, there is a visible reduction in the wearing of masks in public places due to its discomfort and also negligence in maintaining of safe social distances,” he said.
People have started thronging public parks and picnic spots which was a matter of grave concern and alarm, he said. “The situation gets worse on weekends and holidays.”
The first three months of the COVID pandemic resulted in the deaths of 64 people in Jammu and Kashmir. From June 18 onwards, 67 deaths have occurred in a span of only two weeks. “The majority of the deaths have occurred in Kashmir. The Health Department has reported increase in the severe and symptomatic cases coming to hospitals.”
It is 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 Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry appealed 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, the spokesperson said.
“It needs 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.”
The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce & Industry reiterated earlier appeal “to kindly 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.”
