In the wake of rising COVID-19 cases in the state, the Punjab government on Monday announced stricter curbs, including extension of night curfew by an hour and closure of bars, cinema halls, gyms, spas, coaching centres and sports complexes in the state till April 30. The fresh restrictions will come into effect from Tuesday.
Fresh restrictions imposed by Punjab government-
1. Night curfew timings will now be from 8 pm to 5 am, instead of the earlier 9 pm to 5 am.
2. All malls, shops and markets to remain closed on Sundays.
3. Restaurants and hotels to remain open only for takeaway and home delivery from Monday to Saturday.
4. Gatherings of more than 20 people, including weddings and cremations, have been banned across the state.
5. Prior approval of the district administration will be needed for all gatherings of more than 10 persons, except for cremation.
6. Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh said that people who have attended large gatherings anywhere (religious/ political/social) should be mandatorily home-quarantined for five days and tested as per existing protocols.
7. He also directed the transport department to restrict the number of passengers in buses, taxis and auto-rickshaws to 50 percent of the vehicle’s capacity.
Mohali under complete lockdown
Punjab’s Mohali, along with Chandigarh and Haryana’s Panchkula, will remain under complete lockdown on Wednesday, on the occasion of Ram Navami, to avoid gatherings amid the surging Covid cases in the region.
The decision was announced by Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday during a high-level Covid review meeting.
He said he had received a request from the Chandigarh Advisor for a lockdown in Mohali, as part of a lockdown in the entire tri-city, and the necessary notification would be issued accordingly.
Amarinder Singh also appealed to people across all other districts in Punjab to avoid gatherings and large celebrations during the festival, in view of the spike in cases.
RT-PCR rates slashed
Rates for RT-PCR tests and Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT) by private labs have been reduced to Rs 450 and Rs 300 respectively (with additional charges for home collection).
People flying into Punjab should have a negative RT-PCR test report not older than 72 hours. Otherwise, they would have to undergo RAT testing at the airports, the chief minister also ordered.
Source: dnaindia.com