As the movement of outsiders has started with the opening of the Zojila Pass on Wednesday, authorities in Kargil district swung into action to check the spread of the deadly virus in this mountainous region by sealing all entry points. Kargil district of the cold desert is by and large safe from the Coronavirus because out of a total of 1975 active cases, only 87 are in this part of the Union Territory.
"We are facing a tough challenge after the opening of the Zojila Pass, which is our lifeline. Opening of this route was must to ensure availability of essential commodities but now biggest task before us is to check entry of outsiders without mandatory Covid tests," Chief Executive Councilor (CEO) of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Kargil, Feroz Khan, told International Business Times.
"Directions have already been given to the concerned officers to remain in complete readiness to effectively deal with any possible spike of COVID related cases post-Zojila re-opening and stressed them to take all-out measures in dealing with the situation", he said.
Kargil authorities have reason to ensure 100 testings of travelers because out of total of 87 active positive cases, 79 non-local labourers entered this region recently and the remaining eight are locals.
Feroz Khan said that concrete measures need to be taken to ensure foolproof screening and testing of labourers and travelers and also strategies need to devised whether to close the schools or not.
Zojila Pass cleared for vehicular traffic on Wednesday
The ZojiLa Pass, which connects Kashmir to Ladakh, was opened on Wednesday. The opening of this road is crucial for the supply of food, fuel, and other essentials for the inhabitants of Ladakh.
The strategically crucial ZojiLa Pass, this year, opened after closure of 110 days. Located at a height of 11,650 feet, ZojiLa is a strategic pass that provides a vital link between Kashmir Valley and Ladakh.
Steps taken by Kargil administration to check the spread of virus post-Zojila opening.
- All travelers whether from outside or residents of Kargil and labourers should come with authentic negative RT-PCR tests.
- After sampling of inbound travellers is done, teams at ground level should be enough watchful to do surveillance of such travellers for proper quarantine at their homes.
- Passengers coming must remain under strict quarantine until they are reported negative by RT-PCR test.
- Fool-proof adherence of COVID-19 SOPs during the holy nights of Ramadan with the coordination with religious institutions.
