Delhi

The government of Jammu and Kashmir has declared all the 20 districts of the union territory as 'Green Zone' areas since no confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection have been reported from each one in the past 21 days.

An official notification issued cited the "trend in new cases particularly the recent fall in new cases even after significant movement of persons travelling to J&K and between provinces/districts with the risk perception of the Health Department vis-a-vis each district and the need to control further spread of COVID-19."

The only exception will be Lakhanpur containment zone on NH-44 with a buffer of 500 meters radius and Jawahar Tunnel area, on either side as 'Red Zone' demarcated areas. Lakhanpur is the entry point from Punjab into J&K and Jawahar Tunnel the gateway to Kashmir Valley.

 "The categorization of districts into Red and Green Zones/Districts will be followed for the purposes of implementation of permitted activities in the respective districts as per separate directives issued by State Executive Committee (SEC)."

The demarcation will be reviewed periodically.

This brings cheers to the tourism industry in Kashmir where tourists have started flocking in to enjoy the winter.

Many waterfalls have frozen into beautiful sculptures; local men have created artistic snow sculptures and their images on social media have gone viral leading to a sudden rush of tourists to the Valley.