Last Updated on June 5, 2021 at 9:54 pm
Social distancing in Jammu totally failed when liquor shops were opened after 42 days of lockdown.
Booze lovers rushed to buy liquor forgetting about Covid guidelines and maintaining social distancing. Samba deputy magistrate Anuradha Gupta said, “On Wednesday, when liquor vends were opened, a huge rush of people outside vends were seen but no social distancing was practiced.
Before buying liquor, tipplers can get themselves tested for Covid-19 in Samba district. Also, mobile health teams will be posted outside liquor vends.
She further added that testing is not mandatory but in crowded places people can get tested for Covid. Any official orders are still not passed.
Mobile health teams are deployed who are conducting rapid antigen tests who come to buy liquor. They are visiting crowded places on an hourly basis which includes liquor vends as well.
If anyone comes positive during testing Covid-19 protocol will be followed. The deputy magistrate said out of three shops in Samba town, where long queues were seen, rapid antigen tests were conducted at two liquor vends in Rajpura and Samba. Around 177 samples were taken and all of them were negative but testing will be continued. The testing strategy is very effective for controlling Covid.
Testing is not only done at liquor vends but various other areas where crowd is unmanageable.
One of the locals said, “On seeing the medical team members in PPE kits, who had put up testing equipment on tables outside liquor vends, many tipplers fled the site in search of other vends.”
