Punjab Extends COVID-19 Lockdown Till May 31, But With Several Relaxations
Even as India waits for the guidelines for the extended lockdown after May 17, several states have said that restrictions will continue fully or partially in selected areas.Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday evening said the coronavirus lockdown in the state will continue till May 31, though his government will lift the curfew restrictions.?
"From May 18, there will be no curfew in the state. But the lockdown will be there till May 31," said the chief minister in a live Facebook interaction.?
He further indicated the resumption of limited public transport services and the "maximum possible relaxation" in the non-containment zones from May 18.
The containment zones will be sealed to enable the resumption of shops and small businesses in non-containment areas, the CM announced, adding that lockdown details will be announced by Monday after going through guidelines of the Centre.?
Singh said in its suggestions to the Union Home Minister, as sought by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the state has recommended that the nationwide lockdown should be extended till May 31 in a relaxed form.The chief minister said the state government has asked the Union government for a simpler categorization of containment zones.?
He said at present, a district as a whole is a single zone or at the most, there are two units-- municipal and non-municipal corporation area.COVID-19 cases in one part of a district can result in classification of the entire district as red zone, putting severe restrictions on industry and shops, he noted, underlining the need to scrap this system and go for a "containment-focused strategy".?
The chief minister made it clear that his government will continue to pay for migrants wanting to go back home.?
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday said his government has suggested the Centre to resume air, railways and inter-state bus services with reduced capacity.Other suggestions of the state government, listed by the chief minister, include allowing shops to open in all market and market complexes in a staggered manner, resumption of industry and construction activities in urban areas without any restriction, as well as permitting e-commerce for all commodities.?
Offices, both private and government, may be allowed to open for the entire week during normal office hours with staggered timings to avoid over-crowding, the state government suggested.The chief minister said the state government wanted no restrictions on the movement of individuals from 5 am to 7 pm, and had suggested that restrictions, if any, may be imposed between 7 pm and 5 am.?
The Punjab government is in the favour of continued prohibition of activities where there would be a sizeable crowd under one roof, as in the case of shopping malls, cinemas, marriage and banquet halls, social, political and cultural gatherings and religious places.??
