It is curtains for Covid testing facility at Srinagar airport

Srinagar:  Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to discontinue the Covid testing facility at the Srinagar International Airport following a significant drop in the cases.

 “Yes, the Covid testing facility has been stopped from today,” Director Srinagar International Airport Kuldeep Singh told The Kashmir Monitor.

Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir (DHSK) has issued directions to relieve staffers for sampling deployed at the Srinagar International Airport.

“In light of instructions received from the Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Medical Education Department UT of Jammu and Kashmir, the staff deployed by Directorate of Health Services Kashmir for Covid-19 sampling duties from time to time is hereby withdrawn from immediate effect and they are directed to report to their original place of postings for the duties,” the official order stated.

The order said besides the operation of Covid-19 sampling at Srinagar Airport is hereby kept on hold till further orders.

Meanwhile, the huge influx of tourists in Kashmir has pushed the government to increase the number of flights running at Srinagar Airport. Around 92 flights operate daily from Srinagar airport with the passengers numbering around 15,000.   

In the last seven days of April, 58,000 tourists have come to the valley. Tulip Garden was opened in the last week of March and on April 2, more than 50,000 people thronged the garden

Figures suggest that around 60,000 tourists came in the month of January. In February, it went up to 1,00,000 and in March, a record-breaking number of 1,80,000 tourists visited the valley. In the last 7 days of April, the Department of Tourism has already recorded 58,000 tourist arrivals. Around 8,000 arrivals are happening per day. So, in the last three months, it has crossed the 3,00,000 number.