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Coronavirus outbreak: Patiala residents pitch in, stay at home on Janata Curfew
Restrictions extended till month-end; DC adds masks, sanitiser on essential commodity list, holds meeting with merchant associations to stop black-marketeering
The Royal City and its neighbouring towns observed a complete ‘janata curfew’ as residents voluntarily chose to stay at their houses to stop the spread of coronavirus. Meanwhile, following the directions of the state government, the district administration has extended precautionary restrictions till March 31. Only the essential services have been exempted from the ban.
So far, no positive case been reported in Patiala, but over 800 people have been home-quarantined.
The city bore a deserted look as most of the residents chose to abide to the ‘janata curfew’. There was barely any movement in the city, except for medical emergencies.
The bus stand and railway station were locked down as there were no operations. Their employees sanitised the buildings, buses, and other areas of the bus stand and railway station.
“As a responsible citizen, I have voluntarily shut down my factory till the restrictions are in place and decided to remain indoors along with my family. Everyone should support the move as it is for our safety. This will help in curtailed further spread of the virus, thus controlling a pandemic. Everyone should avoid social contact and impose self-quarantine for at least three days,” said Ambrish Bansal, a local factory owner.
Residents welcomed the move and all major roads, including the national highway, did not witness any traffic movement. It was peaceful in rural as well as urban areas in district.
Deputy commissioner (DC) Kumar Amit said that the city residents are in support of the move and dedicated towards stopping further spread of Covid-19.
“The administration is thankful to the residents for their support. The restrictions are needed for stopping outbreak of the virus. The administration has made all arrangements to ensure regular supply of milk, grocery, medicines and other essential goods. There is no need to indulge in panic buying or paying higher prices for goods as the officials held meetings with merchant unions to ensure proper supply. We have urged them to not indulge in black-marketeering,” he added.
Further extending the restrictions till March-end, the DC passed orders that all shops, factories, market complexes, educational institutions and offices will remain closed till further orders. The employees will work from home.
To ensure that people get easy access to daily requirements including milk and vegetables, the administration has allowed milkmen to move within the city and vegetable shops to remain open in residential areas for selected hours. Medical stores, ATMs and other essential services will work as usual.
However, there will be restrictions on movement of residents. Only one person from a family will be allowed to go outside to collect essential commodities.
The DC added that two-ply and three-ply surgical masks, N95 masks and hand sanitisers have now been listed as essential commodities. As a result, shopkeepers can only charge a fixed price from customers. “No one can charge more than ₹10 for a three-ply mask and ₹100 for 200ml hand sanitiser.
The DC issued orders to vendors, stockists, and dealers of these goods and other essential commodities to display the rate list, in Gurmukhi script as well, near the entrance of their premises.
SANGRUR DC IMPOSES SECTION 144 TILL MAY 21
Following the call of ‘janata curfew’, villages and cities in district observed complete a shutdown on Sunday. Markets, bus stand and other business establishments remained shut.
Locals chose to remain inside their houses in order to control the spread of Covid-19.
Members of some local NGOs demanded that the government should provide grocery to the labourers during the ‘curfew’.
“The labourers have to return empty-handed from Labour Chowks as most of the work is suspended. They have no work and cannot afford to arrange for food for their families. Government should come forward to provide ration to the poor,” said Dr AS Mann, president of the Scientific Awareness and Social Welfare Forum of Sangrur
Sangrur deputy commissioner Ghanshyam Thori held a meeting with senior superintendent of police (SSP) Sandeep Garg and other administrative officials. He imposed Section 144 of the Code of Crominal Procedure (CrPC) and banned gathering of more than five people in district till May 21.
160 PEOPLE HOME-QUARANTINED IN NABHA
The town and nearby villages observed a full shutdown on Sunday. Meanwhile, the local administration has been paying surprise visits to houses of 160 persons in the tehsil who have been identified as people with travel history to foreign countries. They have all been put on minimum 14-day home-quarantine as a precaution.
A team of doctors has been formed to visit their houses and review their health status. Nabha sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Sooba Singh said that these people are not showing any symptoms but were still advised to stay in home-quarantine as per government advisory.
“To take extra precautions, we are sending doctors to their houses for regular health check-ups so that if any symptoms surface, immediate action can be taken,” the SDM said.
The teams are also inquiring about symptoms being witnessed by neighbours of these people.
