Ziraat Times Team Report
Srinagar: As capital Delhi continues to witness a new coronavirus spike, those people from Jammu & Kashmir, especially from Kashmir valley, who normally migrate to the capital in winters are hesitant to travel there this year.
Delhi has recorded its biggest single-day jump of 7,745 coronavirus cases on Sunday, with the positivity rate increasing to 15.26 per cent amid the festive season and rising pollution, the health department said.
Seventy-seven more fatalities took the death toll to 6,989, it said.
Mansoor Ahmed, a handicrafts businessman, told Ziraat Times that the pandemic had made the handicrafts business very difficult due to the current demand slump conditions and health safety concerns.
“Due to the pandemic the demand for handicrafts is already very low. It seems survival is the first choice for both mingle income and higher income classes this year. Secondly, a lot of businessmen would normally do face-to-face business transactions with customers and even visit their homes. But this year that looks very improbable”, he added.
Personal health concerns are also making many seasonal migrants to give up their travel and seasonal migration plans.
Farooq Ahmed Khan, a retired doctor, who would normally stay in Delhi during the winter time said that he was very hesitant to go as he felt that he had more support systems in Kashmir to bank on if he contracted the virus.
“Here, we have many social and other support systems. I prefer to stay put in Srinagar this winter. even as it is getting too cold too early”, he told Ziraat Times.
The new infections, which took the national capital’s tally to 4,38,529, came out of 50,754 tests conducted the previous day, according to a health bulletin. On Saturday, Delhi had reported 79 deaths, the highest in over four months.
On Friday, over 7,000 COVID-19 cases were recorded in the city for the first time, while the recovery rate was over 89 per cent.