Night curfew extended by 2 hours in Ludhiana as Covid-19 cases surge, to begin from 9pm until further orders

Earlier on Thursday, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh announced an extension of night curfew by two more hours in nine districts, including Ludhiana, which have reported over 100 daily new cases.

The night curfew timing in Punjab’s Ludhiana has been extended following a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases reported in the district, news agency ANI reported. “Positivity rate has spiked by 5 to 6 per cent with 240 to 250 daily cases. Deaths per week have increased from 7 to 25-30 while hospitalization has spiked by 10 per cent,” ANI quoted the district’s deputy commissioner Varinder Sharma as saying.

Until further orders, the new restrictions would begin at 9pm and continue until 5am. In picture - A deserted street after the curfew was imposed. (AFP | Representational image)

“We have imposed night curfew between 9pm to 5am till indefinite period. We will do a review later but now it is for an indefinite period. Night curfews are intended to discourage unnecessary gatherings at night,” Sharma added. The remarks from the deputy commissioner came as Punjab reported over 2,300 new cases and 32 related deaths on Thursday.

Earlier on Thursday, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh announced an extension of night curfew by two more hours in nine districts, including Ludhiana, which have reported over 100 daily new cases. The existing night curfew in these districts began at 11pm and would be in effect till 5am. However, until further orders, the new restrictions would begin at 9pm with no change in the closing time, according to news reports from PTI.

Also, five districts in Punjab namely, Jalandhar, SAS Nagar, Ludhiana, Patiala and Hoshiarpur, have the maximum number of active Covid-19 cases. Of these, except in SAS Nagar, the night curfew has been extended in the remaining four districts. The state of Punjab accounts for 5.3 per cent of the total active cases in India as of date, the ministry noted.

According to the state government data on Thursday, Jalandhar reported 467 new Covid-19 cases, followed by Ludhiana with 237 cases, Amritsar with 230 cases, Hoshiarpur with 216 cases and SAS Nagar with 214 cases.