Srinagar (J&K): As the number of Covid-19 cases climbs steadily in the country, the number of red zones declared by the administration in Jammu and Kashmir has also witnessed a sharp jump taking the count to 45. The number of red zones, an area which is a cluster of positive Covid-19 cases, has seen a spurt during the last few days. Of the total red zones, 26 are located in Kashmir division while rest are in Udhampur, Rajouri, Samba and Jammu, according to an official source.

The official said that the remote sensing department is implementing geo-tagging technology for the exact identification of the affected areas.

“We are regularly updating the Covid-19 affected zones on the official website for public information. As of now, we have 39 identified red zones in rural areas of J&K. Six red zones fall in Srinagar district,” added the official.

“In view of the privacy of the patient, we don’t reveal the exact location of the patient’s house on the portal but mark a wider red zone,” the official said.

The identification of the zones will help civic bodies in sanitisation of the affected areas and the health department is identifying residents who may have developed symptoms of Covid-19.

“We are making all efforts to ensure inward and outward movement of people in the red zones, both urban and rural areas is completely restricted. We are hopeful that this step will help in the drive against the spread of Covid-19,” said Pandurang Pole, divisional commissioner, Kashmir.

Moreover, officials of the forest department are helping in identifying the red zones through the geographic information system. Forest officials are assisting deputy commissioners in locating the red zones in surrounding areas with the GIS technology. At the divisional level, a control room at Old Secretariat has been created which keeps a check on the identification of new red zones.

So far, the total number of Covid 19 cases in the country has touched 4,421 while J&K has reported 109 cases as on Tuesday.