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Amid Covid surge, night curfew imposed in Punjab’s Mohali
The development comes on the day the district recorded a steep spike in Covid-19 cases and deaths, with 194 people testing positive and four succumbing to the virus
Deputy commissioner Girish Dayalan on Friday imposed night curfew in Mohali district, which will come into force at midnight and remain effective from 11pm to 5am till further orders.
The development came on the day the district recorded a steep spike in Covid-19 cases and deaths, with 194 people testing positive and four succumbing to the virus. In view of the surge in infection across Punjab, night curfew has already been imposed in Doaba belt, comprising Jalandhar, Kapurthala, SBS Nagar and Hoshiarpur, besides Patiala and Ludhiana districts. It was also imposed in the neighbouring Fatehgarh Sahib district on Friday.
“From March 12 night, movement of individuals for all non-essential activities shall remain prohibited. However, essential activities, including operation of multiple shifts, movement of persons and goods on national and state highways and unloading of cargo and travel of persons to their destinations after disembarking from buses, trains and planes will be permitted,” stated the order, adding that industrial establishments, construction activities and municipal services are also exempted during the night curfew.
No separate permission will be required by the industries and other establishments for their operations. All employees will be allowed without any requirement of a pass during the night shifts.
492 cases, 7 deaths in 3 days
The district has seen a steep surge in infections this month, with 492 cases and seven deaths in the past three days. While there were 840 cases in February, the number has reached 1,216 just 12 days into March, already a spike of 45%. In January, 1,291 cases had surfaced.
Mohali city continues to report bulk of the cases, with 803 (66%) reported this month so far. Also, 13 fatalities have been reported this month, as compared to 20 in February and 25 in January. The death toll stands at 398.
Meanwhile, the number of active cases has shot up from 636 on March 1 to 1,179 on March 12 and recovery rate has dropped from 95% to 92.7% in the same period.
The total number of cases has climbed up to 21,531, of which 19,954 have been cured, including 165 discharged on Friday.
Strict implementation
The deputy commissioner has also directed all officials concerned to ensure strict implementation of the restrictions on social gatherings. While a maximum of 100 people are allowed at indoor venues, up to 200 can attend outdoor events.
All officials were told to ensure that citizens comply with various directives of the central and state government on Covid appropriate behaviour, such as social distancing and wearing of face masks, regulate crowds at markets and public transport, and impose penalties on violators.
“We have increased sampling in the district, which will help in early detection and prevention of the spread,” said Dr Adarshpal Kaur, civil surgeon, Mohali, on action being taken to curb the surge. She also urged people to take all precautions and shun complacency.
