Punjab govt extends night curfew till Jan 1 to curb spread of Coronavirus
Taking cognizance of the high case fatality rate in the state, the Punjab Chief Minister extended curfew restrictions between 10 pm to 5 am till January 1.
New Delhi: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday announced to extend night curfew and restrictions on weddings and parties across the state till January 1. Curbs will be imposed in all cities and towns of the state to prevent spread of Coronavirus.
Taking cognizance of the high case fatality rate in the state, the Punjab Chief Minister extended curfew restrictions between 10 pm to 5 am till January 1. Earlier, the curfew was imposed from December 1 to December 15. Directing the Director General of Police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta, Captain asked for strict enforcement of the restrictions at wedding venues and other places, with penalties to be imposed on the hosts in case of deviance.
Chairing a high-level COVID review meeting, Chief Minister ordered an end to home quarantine for those above the age of 70 with co-morbidities, unless adequate medical facilities can be made available at home.
He also ordered a thorough check of all private hospitals to ensure that only those with adequate level three infrastructure and manpower be allowed to admit COVID-19 patients.
“Hospitals lacking such facilities should refer patients to other hospitals,” he said.
“Though the declining positivity trend in Punjab over the past three weeks was welcome, the fatality rate remained a matter of concern,” said Captain and asked the Health Department to maintain the 3,0,000 per day RTPCR test, with more smart and targeted sampling to include potential super spreaders.
“Districts must be encouraged to make full use of the ITIHAAS portal to identify possible hotspots and concentrate their sampling there,” he said.
The Chief Minister urged the Health Department to monitor the health of the farmers who are returning from Delhi.
Till date, 35 lakh samples had been tested in the state, out of which 1.5 lakhs were found positive. About 87 per cent of the deaths had been over the age of 45, with about 50 per cent of the deaths taking place at private tertiary care centres.