JAMMU, APRIL 12: The Government has issued an advisory for addressing Mental Health and Psychosocial Aspects of children and families during COVID-19 Outbreak.

Developed by the IASC’s Reference Group on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, the Advisory calls for as under;

Encourage active listening and an understanding attitude with the children: Children may respond to a difficult situation in different ways. Children usually feel relieved if they are to express and communicate their disturbing feelings in a safe and supportive environment.

Every child has his/her own way to express emotions: Sometimes engaging in a creative activity, such as playing and drawing can facilitate this process. Help children to find positive ways to express disturbing feelings such as anger, fear and sadness.

Encourage an increased sensitive and caring environment around the children: Children need adults’ love and often more dedicated attention during difficult times. Remember that children often take their emotional cues from the adults in their lives, so how adults respond to the crisis is very important. It’s important that adults manage their own emotions well and remain calm, listen to children’s concerns and speak kindly to them and reassure them. If possible and depending on the age, parents / caregivers should express their love for the children and reiterate they are proud of them. This will make them feel better and safer.

If possible, make opportunities for children to play & relax: Keep children close to their parents and family, if considered safe for the child, and avoid separating children and their caregivers as much as possible.

If a child needs to be separated from his/her primary caregiver: Ensure that appropriate alternative care is provided and that a social worker, or equivalent, will regularly follow up on the child. Also ensure regular and frequent contact (e.g. via phone, video calls) with the primary caregiver and reassurance them. Ensure all child protection and safeguarding measures are addressed.

Keep regular routines and schedules as much as possible or help to create new ones in a new environment, including learning, playing and relaxing. If possible, maintain schoolwork, study or other routine activities that do not endanger children or go against health authorities.

Provide facts about what is going on: Give clear child-friendly information about how to reduce risk of infection and stay safe in words they can understand. Demonstrate to children how they can keep themselves safe (e.g., show them effective handwashing)

Avoid speculating rumours in front of children: Provide information about what has happened or could happen in a reassuring, honest and age-appropriate way.

Support adults/caregivers with activities for children during isolation: Activities should explain the virus; Also Keep children active when they are not at school, for example Hand washing games with rhymes; Imaginary stories about the virus exploring the body; Make cleaning and disinfecting the house into a fun game; Draw pictures of virus/microbes’ that to be coloured by children.

Advisory by Child Guidance and Well Being Center -a nodal Center for Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (IMHANS), Kashmir:

Stay connected in virtual world through phones, WhatsApp, etc: You can make groups on various social media platforms, of extended families and friends. Ask about well being of each other, but don’t remain stuck with Corona talk. Use humour and reassurances liberally. Remind each other of previous difficult situations from which we emerged unscathed. If you are not able to force one, smile on video calls.

Neighbours should continue chatting and socialising through windows (provided that windows are 2 meters apart) as was norm in yesteryears. Revive the old tradition of ‘Daraev kin darbar’.

· During social distancing, vulnerability of children to abuse increases. So, be vigilant and make sure within families if children are safe.

· Don’t make children fearful. Educate them in a way that it doesn’t seem end of the world. When we teach our children how to cross the road, we don’t make them fearful by talking about worst accidents, but we just teach them how to be safe.

· Keep your children engaged by innovating play methods. Most of us try to restrict mobile and TV use by kids, but this time it seems to be a safer alternative to playing with other children. Do watch what your children are viewing and schedule their screen timing. Keep regular routines and schedules as much as possible, or help them to create new ones in new environment.

· Don’t watch hyperbolic news channels, especially in front of your kids. In older children, this is the best time to inculcate habit of book /comic reading and storytelling.

· Reading books of your interest, resting and sleeping in appropriate doses will all help.

· Lonely walks within your premises wherever possible can be very refreshing.

· Humour is important. As adults, we understand that it is an immense crisis but that should not prevent us from cracking a joke. Don’t scold kids for laughing out loud. Let us live in present, moment by moment. Past is gone and future is not in our control. Think of things that are in our control.

JAMMU, APRIL 12: Chief Secretary, BVR Subrahmanyam, today directed Deputy Commissioners and District Police Heads for strict implementation of restrictions in all 77 Red Zones declared in Jammu and Kashmir. To control the further spread of coronavirus, he also stressed for proper regulation of Red Zones and complete lockdown in the identified areas.

Chief Secretary was chairing a high level meeting to discuss the strategy to be adopted for containment of COVID-19 keeping in view the recent spurt in number of positive cases reported in J&K in the last few days.

Financial Commissioner Health, Financial Commissioner, Finance, all other Administrative Secretaries, MD NHM participated in the meeting. Divisional Commissioners and IGPs of Kashmir and Jammu, IGP Traffic, all Deputy Commissioners, SSPs and CMOs attended the meeting through video conference.

Chief Secretary while reviewing the situation emerged due to spread of coronavirus in the Union Territory of J&K directed the DCs of active districts where Red Zones have been declared to go for complete lockdown in these areas for containment of disease. District administration, in close coordination with district police, should ensure that there is zero movement of people, he added.

Chief Secretary directed 100 % door to door survey and extensive fumigation in all the Red Zones besides early issuance of operational guidelines for management of the Red Zones by the Health Department so that chances of further spread of virus are minimized. However, essential supplies are to be ensured in the Red Zones and DCs should plan the delivery of essentials so that people do not face any inconvenience, he added.

Emphasizing on sparing medical persons, the Chief Secretary directed the DCs not to involve doctors and other staff for survey related works as they have to perform medical duties and instead utilize other staff for such exercises. He also asked them to promote usage of ‘Aarogya Setu’ app as an essential tool in fight against COVID-19.

With regard to the immediate need of capacity enhancement, Chief Secretary directed all DCs to increase number of isolation and quarantine beds. He asked to identify such facilities in their respective districts and takeover big halls, vacant hostels and other ready infrastructure to utilize them properly. These facilities can be developed where large number of persons can be put in for quarantine and every district has this kind of infrastructure available with them, he added.

We need to divide our capacities into three different levels as per the requirement, at level 1, there should be Covid Wellness Centres for quarantine purpose, at level 2, Covid Health Centres where people need more medical attention and, at level 3, Covid Hospitals where only high load cases are to be kept for medical treatment, the Chief Secretary maintained.

Chief Secretary directed the DCs and other concerned officers to continue with the implementation of lockdown restrictions and allow the operations of activities as permitted under NDMA Act. Movement of essential supplies has to be regulated as per the mechanism already in place, the Chief Secretary said adding that check points need to be established at both sides of Jawahar Tunnel.

Chief Secretary asked DCs of Poonch and Shopian districts to work out a plan to establish similar kind of check points at Mughal road, one at Poshana and other at Peer ki Gali to regulate vehicular traffic once the road is open for vehicular traffic. He directed them to coordinate with Secretary HUDD and Industries & Commerce for installation of fumigation tunnels at all the check points. IGPs of both the divisions were asked to made adequate security arrangements at these points.

To ensure that rural economy is not affected, the Chief Secretary asked to allow the farmers with their agriculture operations and directed the DCs and SSPs to coordinate with Secretary Agriculture for smooth continuation of agri and allied operations in their districts. He asked for proper regulation of food grain mandis and also to notify temporary mandis, in addition to the already notified mandis, to avoid large gathering of persons at one place.

Regarding movement of bakkerwals, the Chief Secretary directed DCs and SSPs to allow their movement in a regulated manner. Only small groups at a slow pace should be allowed to move.

Secretary RDD was asked to ensure participation of Panchayat Level Committees in surveillance, mask regulation, awareness and other activities related to coronavirus control efforts. Secretary Labour was directed to continue with the welfare measures for the labourers and other migrant workers so that they do not face any inconvenience due to lockdown restrictions.

While interacting with the DCs and other concerned officers, the Chief Secretary complimented all for their efforts and said that it is our collective responsibility to keep our people safe. He said that it is because of our aggressive tracing and testing exercise that we have been able to find out people infected with virus and providing them medical treatment.

Chief Secretary said that the testing capability is being enhanced further for which efforts are being made by the Health Department under the guidance of the Financial Commissioner Health.

To overcome the present situation, we all, as a team, need to ensure that lockdown restrictions are being implemented on ground and every required measures are taken to contain the spread of coronavirus, the Chief Secretary added. Sanitation/fumigation drives are to be carried out on massive scale for which adequate funds have been provided by the government, he maintained.

Chief Secretary said that our collective efforts should be to avoid entering stage of community transmission for which we need to move forward with a defined strategy. Universal usage of masks has to be promoted among the people and similarly, people need to be encouraged to take immunity booster as recommended by Ministry of AYUSH, he added.

Meanwhile, the DCs also briefed the Chief Secretary about the measures they have been taking to contain the virus especially in the Red Zones.

JAMMU, APRIL 10: J&K SICOP has set up a sanitization tunnel at the entry of Udyog Bhawan, Jammu with a view to sanitize the employees and visitors entering the complex.

The tunnel shall be beneficial for all the employees and visitors of various departments housed in the Udyog Bhawan Complex including Directorate of Industries & Commerce, J&K SIDCO, J&K SICOP, Handloom & Handicrafts Department, Geology & Mining Department and J&K DFC.

Director Industries & Commerce Jammu Anoo Malhotra, MD SICOP Atul Sharma and GM DIC Subah Mehta were also present at the time of operation of tunnel.

Commissioner Secretary, Industries and Commerce M K Dwivedi appreciated the efforts of MD SICOP and directed all employees/ visitors to make use of this facility and cooperate with the administration in fighting the COVID 19 pandemic. Anoo Malhotra also lauded the step taken by MD SICOP.

J&K SICOP is also in the process of installing similar tunnels at Raj Bhawan, Civil Secretariat Jammu, Excise and Taxation Complex, High Court Complex Jammu and Medical College Jammu in first phase.