As Covid cases continue to rise rapidly, chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday ordered stricter restrictions beginning from April 20, including extension of night curfew timings (8pm to 5am), closure of all bars, cinema halls, gyms, spas, coaching centres, sports complexes, with restaurants and hotels to be open only for takeaway and home delivery from Monday to Saturday.
Rates for RT-PCR and rapid antigen testing (RAT) by private labs have been reduced to ₹450 and ₹300, respectively (with additional charges for home collection of the samples), in a bid to promote increased testing.
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Gatherings of more than 20 people, including for weddings/cremations, have also been banned across the state, with prior approval of the district administration needed for all gatherings of more than 10 people, except for cremation.
The new restrictions, which also include closure of malls, shops and markets on Sunday, coupled with the ones imposed earlier, will remain in effect till April 30, the chief minister said, directing the police department to strictly enforce the restrictions. All weekly markets have also ordered to be shut down.
5-day home quarantine after attending gathering
{{/usCountry}}5-day home quarantine after attending gathering
{{/usCountry}}Chairing a high-level virtual meeting to review the Covid situation in the state, the chief minister ordered that all people flying into Punjab should have a negative RT-PCR not more than 72 hours old, else they would have to undergo RAT testing at the airport. He also ordered that people who attended large gatherings anywhere (religious/political/social) to be mandatorily home quarantined for five days and tested according to protocol.
He directed the transport department that the number of people in buses/taxis and autos be restricted to 50% of the capacity.
To check inbound travellers, the chief minister directed that rapid antigen testing (RAT) testing booths should be set up at bus stands and railway stations and all passengers checked. All eligible persons should be get vaccinated, he said.
Recruitment exams put off, others to be held online
The chief minister ordered the postponement of recruitment exams for patwaris and directed for the medical education department to hold online exams for 1st, 2nd and 3rd year MBBS/BDS/BAMS and first year nursing students.
He said that military hospitals in cantonments in Punjab have assured the state government of all possible help to tackle the surge, while private hospitals have already been told to reserve 75% beds for Covid patients.
No elective surgeries till May 15
He said no elective surgeries should be conducted in any government or private hospitals till May 15 and all OPD patients must be tested, besides encouraging them to get vaccinated.
The 104 Helpline shall function 24X7 to provide information on bed availability in government and private hospitals. Oxygen requirement and availability will be monitored.
Mohali’s positivity spike worst at 36.53%
Health secretary Hussan Lal, in a presentation, said the state’s positivity rate was statis at 7.8% but had shown a quantum jump thereafter, going up to 12.6% as on April 15, with Mohali being the worst hit at 36.53%. The spike, he said, could be attributed to the new variant, along with people coming back from large gatherings outside Punjab.
The figure was expected to go up further with more testing, he said, adding that by May 5, the state was projected to report 6,000 cases a day if urgent measures were not implemented in Ludhiana, Mohali, Jalandhar , Amritsar and Patiala, which would be the drivers of the spike.
Dr KK Talwar, head of the Covid expert task force, said more restrictions were needed to check further surge, as the situation was worrying, given the way things had happened in Delhi, and with the virus clearly mutating.