E-Paper
17-hour curfew in Ludhiana extended till May 31
Shops to open only between 5am and 12pm, public movement thereafter allowed only with curfew pass; complete lockdown during weekends
With the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic continuing to sweep across Ludhiana, the district administration has extended the 17-hour daily curfew for two more weeks.
The administration had imposed the seven-day curfew on May 10, but decided to continue it till May 31, after chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh announced extension of the existing curbs across the state till month end.
In Ludhiana, the curfew will remain in force from 12pm to 5am, following which shops, private offices and establishments can open, and public movement can resume till noon.
However, apart from the relaxed hours, home delivery of milk is also allowed from 5pm to 9pm and milk vendors will not require curfew passes.
These restrictions will be observed on weekdays – Monday to Friday, while the weekend lockdown will be imposed from 12pm on Friday till 5am on Monday, when there will be complete ban on public movement.
Amid the curbs, inter-state movement is allowed on national and state highways, however, the administration had advised against non-essential travel.
All manufacturing industrial units are allowed to continue operations.
Any violations of the order will invite criminal proceedings under the relevant provisions of the Disaster Management Act and the Indian Penal Code.
May’s tallies already ahead of April’s
May so far has witnessed 21,229 Covid infections and 345 deaths, compared to 20,176 cases and 231 deaths in the entirety of April when the second wave had started surging.
Ludhiana’s 75,815 cases and 1,720 deaths so far are the highest in Punjab, while the district’s 13,217 active cases also top the state’s tally. Though the recoveries are highest at 60,858, the recovery rate of 80.27% is behind the state average of 82.4%.
Since the district went under the 17-hour curfew on May 10, the cases have shown a decline, coming down from 1,470 on Monday to 942 on Sunday – a drop of 35%. Yet, the daily deaths remain in double digits and had also reached the all-time high of 30 twice, on May 10 and 11.
Deputy commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma said the curbs were being extended to bring the situation further under control. He cautioned residents against complacency towards the pandemic, which was still raging across the state and urged them not to venture out unless in case of emergency.
