Jammu and Kashmir COVID-19 online dashboard – a database on the outbreak of pandemic in the state – has gone defunct due to the snapping of internet services since last week in the wake of the killing of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen chief Riyaz Naikoo.
Since May 5, no fresh updates have been made on the portal, which is available on the website of Department of Ecology, Environment and Remote Sensing. The dashboard has been showing outdated data due to the suspension of internet services.
“The team responsible for updating the portal did not have internet access. Since the employees are doing work from home, most of them do not have broadband facilities available,” an official, looking after the dashboard, said.
He said that earlier when the internet was available, the portal was updated as per the daily media bulletin issued by the government on COVID-19. “The portal was proving to be quite informative for the general public with the COVID-19 related data presented in the form of charts, log tables, etc,” he said.
The 2G internet suspension has also hit the door-to-door health audit being conducted by the government across Kashmir. Officials said the ground-level workers, who were conducting the survey using a mobile app “Swasthya Nidhi” to collect data, are unable to do so in absence of internet service.
“The internet is also vital to fight COVID-19 as the government-run mobile apps for contact tracing such as ‘Aarogya Setu’ and ‘Talaash’ are defunct without internet,” officials said.
The 2G mobile internet services were suspended on Wednesday morning amidst COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, impeding the work-from-home (WFH) regimen of professionals and students attending online classes.
Doctors, healthcare workers, researchers and students in Kashmir had already raised concerns about restricted information due to slow-speed internet. While they were demanding restoration of full-speed 4G internet so that people better informed and get critical information about the coronavirus pandemic, authorities even snapped 2G services for the last six days.
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