COVID-19: Suspend tourism till temperature rises, says DAK

SRINAGAR — In view of the COVID-19 fear, the Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) on Saturday appealed the government to focus on screening travellers at airports and railway stations and training medical teams to combat the novel Coronavirus.

In a statement issued here, President DAK Dr Suhail Naik said that they are in touch with global health experts and it is important to recognize that COVID-19 is a new and concerning disease, but still outbreaks can be managed with the right response.

“The government should screen all the visitors coming to Kashmir at airports, railway stations and on the Srinagar-Jammu highway,” he said.

Dr Naik said in order to fight COVID-19 which has affected people in many countries, the Jammu and Kashmir government should suspend tourism till temperatures will rise and the pandemic will come to a halt.

He said that all sports activities and conferences should be suspended to save the asymptomatic population, adding that morning prayer in schools should also be restricted.

He said in light of knowledge gained from Wuhan in China on the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical measures against COVID-19, like rapid detection, large-scale case isolation and quarantine of contacts, the spread of the virus can be contained.

DAK said that there had been severe disruption to the global supply of personal protective gear. It demanded the government for a sufficient supply of masks and sanitizers.

In view of the suspected cases in Jammu and Kashmir and the rise in cases across many countries, DAK said that the government should focus on training and workshops for dedicated medical teams in all districts.

“There should be separate respiratory OPDs in all the hospitals. We advise people not to visit hospitals for mild ailments or unnecessarily with patients,” DAK said.

DAK also requested both government and private schools to make ample water taps and soaps for hand washing as a precautionary measure. “We appeal to parents to provide handkerchiefs or tissue paper to their kids. People should also restrict shaking hands or hugging until the Coronavirus is curtailed,” DAK said.

DAK said the public must understand that they can even use their handkerchief to cover their mouth and nose, appealing to people to use their handkerchiefs and don’t panic.