The Valley has got a new heroine — a mother who defied contagion to be with her Covid-positive little girls.

The two kids — one 4 and the other 8 — stepped out of hospital quarantine on Monday after being declared free of the infection, giving the Valley something to cheer about in the gloom.

But it was their mother who won many hearts. She had tested negative but risked personal safety and stayed with her kids through their quarantine at Srinagar’s Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial hospital.

The Valley lauded her resilience.

“I take a humble bow in respect of doctors at JLNM hospital and for resilience of a brave mother as two kids who had earlier tested positive are discharged after repeat samples testing negative. Congratulations!” Srinagar deputy commissioner

Shahid Iqbal Choudhary tweeted.

“Great News... Mubarak to the families and gratitude to the entire medical team,” government spokesman Rohit Kansal tweeted.

The news that the girls had recovered came on a day, officials said, 25 cases of Covid-19 were reported in Jammu and Kashmir, all from the Valley, taking the number of cases to 270.

The girls had tested positive on March 26, three days after their grandfather, who had a travel history to Saudi Arabia, tested positive.

The kids, both asymptomatic, were the first children to test positive in the Valley.

Dr Bilquis Shah, the officer in charge of Covid-19 at the hospital where they were treated, said the girls had tested negative and been sent home.

“Their mother endured the most difficult time as she had insisted on being with her daughters who were so young. For the last 18 days, she was with them 24/7, wearing the protective gear all the time,” Bilquis told The Telegraph.

“She has marks of injury on her nose, her face and her skin has also sagged. It was very tough for her but she did not leave them even for a moment.”

The doctor said the two girls had tested positive the second time on April 5 and 6 and fresh tests were conducted on April 10 and 12.

“Thank God they came negative. Their mother was also tested and she also came negative,” she said.

The doctor said their grandfather, who was treated at Srinagar’s Chest Disease Hospital, had already tested negative and been sent for home quarantine.

The hospital presented the girls with bouquets while seeing them off.

Hospital sources said there were some more Covid-positive children being treated at JLNM hospital.

They include two small girls, whose mother — who has tested negative — is staying with them.

A Covid-negative father has also been staying with his small son who has tested positive.