To Check Spread Of COVID-19, Punjab Bans Mass Gathering Except Weddings, Funerals Till Aug 31
The government and private offices will work at 50 per cent capacity till the end of this month, as per the directives issued by the CM during a video conference with senior officials to review the COVID situation in the state.
India is dealing with COVID-19 and the states are also taking decisions to curb the spread of coronavirus. To keep everything in check, the Punjab government on banned all kinds of gatherings in the state, except weddings and funerals till August 31.
PTI Representational Image
According to the new emergency measures taken by the state, the weekend lockdown with daily night curfew from 7 pm to 5 am across the 167 cities/ towns of the state, the dates have been extended till August 31, the chief minister¡¯s office said.
The chief minister of the state announced a series of emergency measures including the extension of the weekend lockdown, to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the state.
The government and private offices will work at 50 per cent capacity till the end of this month, as per the directives issued by the CM during a video conference with senior officials to review the COVID situation in the state.
Singh called for ¡°war-like preparedness¡± to deal with the massive COVID spike in the state.
The latest measures came as the state has been witnessing a sharp surge in the number of coronavirus cases for the past several days.
Till Thursday evening, the state's coronavirus tally stood at 37,824 cases with 957 deaths.
Punjab CM has also ordered a total ban on all gatherings except weddings & funerals across the state till August 31. Government & private offices will work at 50% capacity till the end of this month: Punjab CMO. #COVID19 https://t.co/tJybtqCmlN
¡ª ANI (@ANI) August 20, 2020
The CM also directed the officials concerned to restrict public visitors in government officials and encourage the use of online grievance redressal system, which has been strengthened by the state government to minimise in-person contact with hassle-free online engagement, the release said.
In the five worst-affected districts of Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala and Mohali, restrictions on vehicular capacity have been imposed again with buses and other public transport to operate with 50 per cent occupancy and private four-wheelers not allowed to carry more than three passengers per vehicle.
AFP - Representational Image
Singh has also directed the deputy commissioners of these five districts to allow only 50 per cent of the non-essential shops to open on a daily basis to check crowding.
The five districts are currently accounting for 80 per cent of the active caseload in the state.
Singh also directed Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta to strictly enforce compliance of rules with regard to the number of persons allowed to attend weddings and funerals, and also to ensure total ban on political gatherings till August 31, when the situation will be reviewed.
He also asked the DGP to crack the whip on all political protests and gatherings, and asked his own party state leadership to enforce the ban strictly.
¡°Enough is enough," Singh said while adding that the government needs to be tough without affecting the state's economic activity.
Pointing to the 957 coronavirus deaths reported in the state so far, he said, ¡°Each death pains me, and the projections for the coming weeks are grim.¡±
He also underlined the need to promote public participation in creating awareness on the measures to check the spread of COVID-19.
The CM asked the health department to promote public participation by involving all other departments, NGOs and local politicians to educate the people.
He said the state was in an ¡°health emergency¡± situation, necessitating suh harsh measures, which might have to be further intensified in the coming days to curb the spread of the pandemic.
Though the cases were currently concentrated mainly in urban areas, rural areas were also witnessing an increase, he said, adding that if needed, travel restrictions may have to be imposed.
Meanwhile, In a wedding in Hisar, Haryana turned into a COVID-19 nightmare as a large chunk of the people in attendance tested positive. As per a News18 Haryana report, 150 to 200 people attended the wedding ceremony in Dogran Mohalla.
130 people have tested positive and among them are the bride and groom. Police have registered a case but have not taken any action as yet.
