A day after the Central Government issued Unlock 3.0 guidelines, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Thursday made it clear that any decision on giving more relaxations, including ending night curfew, opening gyms etc, would be taken after ground assessment and receiving inputs from all districts.

For the same, the Chief Minister has sought the views of all the Deputy Commissioners on the opening of gyms, among other things.

During a videoconferencing review meeting with the DCs and health officials on COVID-19 containment and management arrangements, the Chief Minister said: “While the Central Government has announced certain relaxations, including permission for gyms, as per the Unlock 3.0 guidelines, I will decide on the same after an assessment of the ground situation.”

He asked the DCs to think through and submit their views to the Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan, following which a final decision will be taken by the Government after due deliberations.

Underlining the need for strict enforcement in view of increasing number of cases in the State, the Chief Minister said that while there was a lot of demand from youngsters for opening of gyms, the modalities would have to be thought through and all options to be explored before the decision can be taken. Taking serious note of reports of violation of social distancing and other COVID-19 protocols by some shopkeepers, he directed the DCs to order shutdown of shops for three days in the case of the first offence and for a higher number of days on subsequent violations.

He further asked the DCs to strictly enforce all safety protocols and norms, including wearing of masks and social distancing, to check the spread of the pandemic.

Health Adviser Dr KK Talwar pointed out that scientific data shows that wearing of masks is as effective as lockdown, as it not only prevents spread of infection but also lowers mortality.

DGP Dinkar Gupta informed the meeting that from March 23 to July 29, a total of 14,384 FIRs have been registered and 19,850 persons arrested for various violations. As many as 5,50,150 persons have been fined for violation of the COVID-19 guidelines.

Expressing grave concern over the increasing mortality, the CM called for concerted efforts to bring down the fatality rate. Punjab has so far lost 370 lives to Covid-19, with 25 patients succumbing since last night, he pointed out, adding that this was not acceptable.

With early detection the only cure, the message of early treatment has to go do down more effectively, he said, directing the DCs to take all steps necessary to create awareness among people to go for testing at the first sign of illness.

Even as he thanked the DCs for the remarkable work being done in the battle against COVID-19 to keep the situation in Punjab better than many other states, the Chief Minister said that the rising number of cases was a matter of concern.

Given the spiraling cases, all DCs should work closely with the Health Department as well as the Police to secure the willing cooperation and support of the people, especially religious and community leaders, he said.Overcrowding and political or religious gatherings resulting in violation of social distancing should be strictly checked, he said.

The DCs of some of the worst affected districts, namely Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala and Mohali, briefed the meeting on the situation in their respective regions and the measures being taken to monitor, track, test and treat people. Jalandhar SSP said that given the social stigma attached to COVID, the district police has made it mandatory for all chemists to report those buying medicines for treatment of fever and flu.

The state currently has 64 micro-containment zones, of which 16 are in Jalandhar, which also has 20 clusters and one large outbreak. The maximum number of clusters, however, are in Amritsar, though it has only two micro containment zones. Ludhiana (City), Jalandhar (City), Sangrur, Barnala, Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib and Ferozepur districts have seen the maximum surge in cases of police personnel testing positive in the past one week.The Chief Minister asked the DCs to ensure that government offices, including their own, lead by example in following social distancing norms. He suggested appointment of a dedicated COVID Prevention Monitor to ensure compliance at every private institution where a number of people are expected to come.

He also asked the DCs to take steps for distribution of masks free of cost to the needy, and also make sanitisers and mask vending machines available at public places.

He urged the DCs, along with Nodal Officers and the newly appointed COVID Patient Tracking Officers, to engage regularly with all tertiary care facilities, both government and private, to optimise resource use to check any complaints in treatment.