Top bureaucrat tests COVID-19 positive in J-K; 80 officials placed under quarantine

Jammu, Jun 1 () The civil secretariat here was sanitised and 80 government officials and their contacts were put to quarantine after a top bureaucrat tested positive for coronavirus, officials said on Monday.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Girish Chander Murmu has taken a serious note of the alleged violations of the Standard operating procedures (SOPs) by the officials while holding meetings, sources said.

"Almost the entire health department administration that participated in the meetings chaired by the top bureaucrat has been sent to home and administrative quarantine," an officer of the health department said.

The top bureaucrat, who tested positive for COVID-19, was a nodal officer for Kashmir, the officials said.

Those who have been quarantined include 12 IAS officers, they said.

Sanitisation of all the offices and complexes of the civil secretariat was carried out on Monday, the officials said.

The employees were not allowed entry into the building during the operation, they said.

The Raj Bhavan has taken a serious note of the alleged violations of the SOPs during meetings by the top officials, the sources said.

Employees are annoyed over the holding of daily meetings where SOPs are violated, they said.

Some officers on the condition of anonymity alleged that top bureaucrats are forcing them to physically be present in meetings and this has been conveyed to the Lt governor.

"Why can't meetings be held through video-conferencing," one of the officers said.

Sources also alleged that in violation of the guidelines, some officers have been put up for quarantine in a hotel in which the disaster management centre has been set up thereby posing threat to staff members there. AB AQS AQS