In a major relief to over 1,200 residents of Zanskar subdivision stranded here for the past one month owing to the nationwide lockdown, the Union Territory administration of Ladakh on Saturday began evacuating them by road via Kargil, officials said.
In the first phase of the evacuation, four SRTC buses carrying 100 stranded passengers left for Zanskar from Leh town, the officials said.
The others are set to leave in batches over the next few days, they added.
They said strict adherence to social distancing norms and wearing of face masks was made mandatory for all passengers, including drivers and helpers.
Once the passengers reach Kargil, they would halt at the Tourist Facilitation Centre (TFC) Kargil where the Kargil district administration has arranged boarding and lodging facilities for them, the officials added.
Meanwhile, the district magistrate of Kargil notified Thuina village as a containment zone after one of its residents had tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday.
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The adjoining villages including Faroona, Khachan and Lankarchey have been declared as buffer zones as part of the strategy to prevent the spread of the novel disease, the officials said.
Ladakh has recorded a total of 20 coronavirus positive cases since March with 16 of them cured of the disease and subsequently discharged.
Among the four active cases, three belong to Leh district and one to Kargil district and their condition was stated to be stable.