Srinagar, May 1 (IANS) The authorities on Friday declared the north Kashmir Ganderbal district in J&K as COVID-free after the last positive patient tested negative and was discharged.

Shafqat Iqbal, District Magistrate, Ganderbal, said on his twitter handle today, "I congratulate my Ganderbalians for declaring #Ganderbal as COVID free distt today as all the earlier 14 COVID positive cases have recovered & stand discharged. Further, the report of 31 samples have been received & all are negative".

Authorities had previously declared south Kashmir Pulwama district as COVID free, but since that announcement, around half-a-dozen villages have been classified as red zones following fresh discovery of coronavirus in the district.

--IANS sq/prs