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Srinagar, 26 April: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference on Monday asked the JK administration to ensure availability of all essentials in the areas, designated as micro-containment zones saying setting up of control rooms of consumer affairs; health and municipality departments will go a long way in mitigating the problems faced by people stuck in such zones.

Expressing concern over the predicaments suffered by the people in COVID-19 micro-containment areas the Party General Secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar said with the government placing these areas under strict lockdown and tight perimeter control, the people residing in such areas are suffering from acute scarcity of essentials and other household items.

“The measure of sealing certain areas marking spike in COVID-19 infections was inevitable to spread the viral sprawl. However the populace living in these localities besides being weighed down by the rampaging COVID-19 is also suffering from scarcity of essentials. The administration seems to have turned volte face to the problems faced by them on a daily basis. Having specific areas designated as containment zones alone won’t help, the situation calls for proper containment and management strategy including ensuring essentials to people stuck in these zones. It would have been better if the incumbent administration would have worked out a mechanism to ensure supply of essential commodities at the door steps of people in such hot spots, where it is not feasible for people to step out,” he said.

Necessitating on building up vaccine confidence through community engagement, Sagar said “The figures of people going for vaccination are very small. Government should take measures to do away with the hesitancy among the masses and involve community leaders by sharing facts and answering the difficult questions about the misconceptions surrounding the inoculation. It is very important for the administration to acknowledge and address the problem. It is the time to converge our efforts to fight humanity’s biggest ever public health crises in the shape of COVID-19,” he said.

He prayed for the fast speedy recovery of those battling the disease and urged the people to abide by required COVID-19 protocol and advisories of concerned departments.