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Punjab lifts night, weekend curfew from July 12; bars, cinema halls to open with rider
Schools to remain closed; colleges, coaching centres and other institutions of higher learning to be allowed to open subject to conditions
Chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday ordered lifting of night and weekend curfew and allowed gatherings of 100 persons indoor and 200 outdoor in Punjab from Monday ( (July 12).
Bars, cinema halls, restaurants, spas, swimming pools, gyms, malls, sports complexes, museums and zoos etc in the state will open provided the staff members and visitors have taken at least one dose of the vaccine, he said.
Reviewing the Covid-19 situation in the state through video-conferencing, he directed director general of police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta to challan all political leaders violating the Covid rules while holding rallies and protest meetings.
“The situation will again be reviewed on July 20. Strict use of masks must be ensured at all times,” he said.
Though schools will continue to remain closed, colleges, coaching centres and all other institutions of higher learning shall be allowed to open by the deputy commissioners concerned, subject to a certificate having been submitted that all teaching, non-teaching staff and students have been given at least one dose of vaccination at least 2 weeks ago.
Heath secretary Hussan Lal said four districts had shown positivity rate of 1% or less, but they still needed to be vigilant in case of Ludhiana, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Firozepur and Rupnagar districts.
Referring to the cases of mucormycosis, or back fungus, which has been reported among 623 people as of July 8, the CM asked the health department to prepare a proposal for supporting and helping in the treatment of such patients.
Of the 623 cases, 67 are from outside the state, the health secretary said, adding that 337 patients were under treatment, 154 had been discharged while 51 persons had died.
Amarinder noted that due to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) in place and the level of Covid and post-Covid care, Punjab has had fewer black fungus cases and deaths than most other states, including Haryana and Delhi. Against 623 cases and 51 confirmed deaths so far in Punjab, both Haryana and Delhi have seen over 1,600 cases each, and 193 and 236 deaths respectively, he added.
CM okays ₹380 crore for
third wave preparation
The Punjab government on Friday approved ₹380 crore to set up more oxygen plants and other necessary health infrastructure to deal with an anticipated third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The amount approved by the CM shall be spent on PSA (pressure swing adsorption) oxygen plants, cryogenic liquid medical oxygen tanks, ambulances, among others.The CM approved ₹380 crore to be spent by the health, and medical education departments in preparing for a possible third wave of the Covid pandemic, an official release said.The CM said funds have never been allowed to become a constraint in the state government’s response to Covid and they will continue to be made available even in the future, according to requirement.
At a virtual Covid-19 review meeting, the CM also gave a go ahead for filling of posts of medical specialists, nurses along with 330 faculty posts in the Patiala and Amritsar medical colleges.
He also asked the departments to bring the proposal for any additional posts needed to the cabinet.
