Amid mounting threat of COVID-19 pandemic and people concealing their travel history and contact history with the COVID-19 positive cases has further endangered the lives of thousands of people, the District Magistrate,(DM) Kulgam, Showkat Aijaz Bhat, today urged all such people to reveal their travel history or face the criminal proceedings.
Issuing a notice in this regard, the DM has mentioned that during the process of contact tracing of COVID-19 positive cases it has been noticed that large number of people were concealing their travel history and putting at risk their lives and mounting threat to lives of general public which besides being morally and ethically unacceptable, is a criminal offence. He urged all such persons who have travel history and have returned after 1st March 2020 and the persons who have come in contact with them after their return and still have not reported their travel history before administration to repor within two days without and fail.
Such persons have been asked to inform the administration on the numbers of District control room on 01931260388, & 01931260156, CMO, Kulgam, 9419004035, MS 7006494905, BMO Kulgam 9906685127, BMO Damhal 7006942926, BMO Yaripora 7006063913, BMO, Qazigund 7006309600 and BMO Qaimoo 9906759070.
People who fail to reveal their travel history have been warned of action under the relevant laws.
Notably, the DM has time and again appealed the people to shun irrational fear associated with disclosing their travel or the contact history with any COVID-19 positive person and cooperate with the authorities in self reporting of either histories.
He urged the individuals with any travel history to self report to the administration and warned those who do not disclosing their travel history within 2 days, of legal action.
The authorities have reiterated that concealment of travel history or circumvention of screening would coerce the authorities to invoke relevant sections of IPC and stringent action will be initiated under section 269 IPC( unlawfully or negligently doing something which is likely to spread infection of any dangerous disease to life) , section 270 IPC ( malignant act likely to spread infection of dangerous disease to life), section 271 IPC (knowingly disobeying any quarantine rule) and section 188 IPC for disobeying any Government order.