Chandigarh closes schools, colleges till March 31 in view of surging Covid cases

Mandatory to obtain DC’s permission for all kinds of gatherings, including political, social and even wedding events

In view of the surging Covid-19 cases in Chandigarh, the UT administration has announced a fresh slew of curbs for the city, including the closure of schools and colleges till March 31.

The administration will also be keeping a strict watch on Sukhna Lake and other public places to ensure that Covid-appropriate behaviour, such as wearing of masks, is being followed. (KESHAV SINGH/HT)

Chandigarh had added around 2.900 cases to its tally in the first 21 days of the month, with over 200 cases being reported every day since March 17.

The UT administration has also imposed curbs on gatherings, including political, social and wedding events, making it mandatory for residents to obtain permission from the deputy commissioner (DC), who will decide the number of guests for such events.

The administration has also announced a ban on all public gatherings for Holi and no clubs, hotels or restaurants will be allowed to host any ceremonial gathering on the occasion. Residents celebrating the festival at home are expected to follow all Covid-appropriate protocol.

Besides, the administration has announced curbs for restaurants, hotels and eateries across the city, which will now have bring down their shutters by 11pm and take the last order by 10pm. These units will also have to limit their customers to 50% of their seating capacity.

The state museums, libraries, auditoriums and theatres etc run by the Chandigarh administration will remain closed till further orders.

The administration has also decided not to grant permission for holding exhibitions or melas. However, all those events for which the administration gave a go-ahead earlier will be allowed as per schedule.

There will also be strict monitoring at Sukhna Lake, apni mandis, markets and malls to ensure that Covid-appropriate behaviour is being followed. To reduce crowding at apni mandis and the wholesale market in Sector 26, the municipal corporation will allow vegetable and fruit vendors to visit residential areas with their carts.

Frontline workers, including health workers, police officials and municipal officials have been asked to come forward to get vaccinated. Eligible teachers and shopkeepers, who come in contact with students and people on a daily basis, have also been advised to get vaccinated without delay.

No change for PU, PEC

While all schools and colleges in the city will remain closed till the end of the month, Panjab University (PU) and Punjab Engineering College (PEC) have not made any new announcements. PU is currently allowing PhD scholars and some categories of PG final year students to stay in hostels while at PEC, post graduate students are being allowed to visit the campus for classes.

PU’s official spokesperson Renuka Salwan said that there is no change for PU students as of now, however, university authorities will review the situation and take a call accordingly.

PEC director Dheeraj Sanghi said, “Only postgraduate students are attending physical classes right now. If the students insist on stopping the offline classes, we will review our decision.”

Govt school offline exams postponed

In a relief for government school children, all ongoing exams for students of Classes 9 and 11 have been postponed in view of the fresh restrictions. Director school education Rubinderjit Singh Brar said, “The exams for Classes 9 and 11 in government schools have been postponed for now and instructions for a revised schedule will be announced later.” However, all teaching and non-teaching staff will continue to come to the school on working days.

Exams for Classes 3 to 8 in government schools, which are being conducted online, will continue as per schedule. Most private schools have already finished their exams and students aren’t coming to school anymore.

Terming this a good decision, president, UT cadre of educational employees union, Swarn Singh Kamboj, said, “The union is fine with teachers being called for work as the safety of students is of utmost importance and it is necessary to break the chain. We will grade the online exams and do other school work during this time.”

6 more containment zones in city

UT administration on Monday declared six more containment zones in the city. These include: parts of Sector 34-D, 38-D, 46, 49-B and Sector 63. UT adviser Manoj Parida said regular screening and monitoring of the areas will continue and frequent sanitisation of the areas would be conducted and residents are advised to strictly adhere to social distancing norms, wear masks and follow hand hygiene. On March 18, the UT administration had declared six containment zones in parts of Sector 15, 29, 33-B, 38-B, 44-D, and 49-A (Pushpak Enclave).