The Chandigarh administration on Friday decided to impose a weekend lockdown again to check the coronavirus spread in the city. A weekend lockdown was imposed last week also even as closure of shops selling non-essential items has been ordered till May 11. The daily night curfew will continue from 6 pm to 5 am.

During the weekend lockdown, morning walk, however, will be allowed from 6 am to 9 am.  Shops selling essential items like dairy products and vegetables will remain open for home delivery up to 2 pm.  No person will leave home or move on foot or by vehicle or travel or stand or roam around on any road or public place during the lockdown hours, the order issued by District Magistrate Mandip Singh Brar said.

However, industrial units will be allowed to remain open.  The movement of their employees and vehicles carrying them will be allowed.  The manufacturing units concerned will issue their staff requisite permission or identity cards for the purpose and details of that have to be shared with the Director, Industries.

Those tasked with law and order and municipal services, health, electricity, fire and telecom services have been exempted from the restrictions.  There shall be no curbs on inter-state movement of essential and non-essential goods while vehicles in bonafide inter-state transit shall be allowed to pass but only after due verification of point of origin and destination, the order said.

Passengers going to or returning from the airport or railway station or ISBT shall be exempted.  Those going for an examination and on exam duties will be allowed movement on production of admit or identity cards, as per the order.  All medical facilities, including dispensaries, vaccination and testing centres, will remain open.

Kitchens at restaurants, hotels and other eateries can remain open for home delivery only up to 9 pm. Their staff shall be allowed to move on production of valid identity cards issued to them by their employer.  Pregnant women and patients getting medical services will be exempted from the lockdown restrictions.

Marriages with prior permission from the SDM concerned with the attendance of up to 50 persons shall be allowed. Funerals or last rites with attendance of up to 20 persons are allowed, the order said. The government employees working in the tricity (Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula) will be allowed transit on production of valid identity cards and duty orders.

CHANDIGARH REPORTS 890 CASES, 8 DEATHS

Showing no respite, the pandemic continued to surge in Chandigarh on Friday, with 890 people testing positive. On May 3, the city had reported 890 Covid19 cases while 860 on May 2.  Eight more patients succumbed to the virus in the city taking the death toll to 549. The total caseload was recorded at 48,442 while the active cases were 8505 till the evening, stated Chandigarh’s health bulletin.