Amid complaints of mass violations of COVID-19 curbs at weddings and parties, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday ordered restriction of 100 on indoor and 250 on outdoor gatherings in the state, with extension of night curfew in all cities and towns, till January 1, 2021.
At the same time, the Chief Minister has also directed the state Director General of Police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta to strictly enforce the restrictions at marriage palaces and other places, with penalties to be imposed on the hosts in case of deviance.
Taking cognizance of the high case fatality rate (CFR) in the state, the Chief Minister also extended curfew restrictions (10 pm to 5 am) till January 1. Earlier, the night curfew was imposed from December 1 to 15.
Capt Amarinder, chairing a high-level COVID-19 review meeting, also 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.
The state Health Secretary Hussan Lal, during the virtual meeting, pointed out that a large number of COVID deaths were also being reported from home isolation cases.
To further check fatality, the Chief Minister ordered a thorough check of all private hospitals to ensure that only those with adequate level-III infrastructure and manpower be allowed to admit COVID 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 Capt Amarinder, directing the DGP to ensure strict compliance to COVID safety protocols, including wearing of masks and social distancing.
He also asked the Health Department to maintain the 30,000 per day RTPCR sampling or testing limit, 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, stressing the need to step up testing in containment and micro-containment zones and ensure 100 percent sampling.
The Chief Minister also asked the Health Department to monitor the health of the farmers who are returning from Delhi in view of the risk to them due to the high case load there.
The state Health Secretary stated that so far, close to 35 lakh samples had been tested in the state, of which 1.5 lakhs were found positive. “Though the second wave in Punjab has, so far, been mild, the health authorities are fully geared to tackle any eventuality,” he said.
He noted that 87 percent of the deaths had been over the age of 45, with about 50 percent of the deaths taking place at private tertiary care centres.
The Health Advisor to Punjab Government Dr KK Talwar, apprising the meeting of the steps being taken to further reduce mortality, pointed out that CFR was still a matter of concern even though it had come down to 3.2 percent in November.
“The patients on monitors are being constantly watched, while detailed mortality analysis is being done hospital-wise every week.
Availability of in-house blood gas analysers and High Flow Nasal Cannulas (HFNCs) are being ensured, especially at level III, along with one nurse per two beds in ICU and guideline-based therapeutic approach to treatment,” he said adding that the co-morbidities continued to be the main reason for the high number of deaths.