With the Covid-19 cases recording a steady increase since over a month, Punjab Government has decided to impose some “more stringent” curbs in the State, including further restrictions on social, public, and family gatherings, as well as mandatory wearing of masks even while working.
Announcing during his #AskCaptain Facebook live session on Sunday, the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh said that strictness was necessary to check the spread of the coronavirus as “I don’t want Punjab to go the way of Mumbai, Delhi or Tamil Nadu”.
The State Government is expected to issue new guidelines for social, religious and public gatherings on Monday imposing more restrictions.
Asked why the State Government was not going for weekend lockdowns to contain the spread, he said that Sunday lockdowns were already in place and the Government was keeping a close watch on the situation and will do whatever necessary.
Underlining the need for everyone to behave responsibly in the current crisis, Capt Amarinder exhorted the people to adhere to all curbs, even as appealed to all political parties to avoid any kind of gathering to save the lives of Punjabis. “It is our joint responsibility to save Punjab. Politics can wait,” he stressed, calling for a collective fight by one and all against “the biggest danger facing humanity”.
Expressing concern over the rising number of Covid-19 cases, with several frontline workers and even Government officials testing positive, the Chief Minister said that with vaccine still not in sight, it was left to the people to fight the coronavirus.
Pointing out that 5,100 people were challaned on Saturday for not wearing masks, with some cases of spitting in public also reported, he said that these actions could not be allowed. He added that the State Government would be distributing more reusable and washable masks to the poor.
Noting the importance of medical history in fatalities, the Chief Minister said that all corona deaths in the State were being audited to enable doctors and experts to strategise in a more focused manner to fight the Covid.
In response to a question, Capt Amarinder attributed the increase in Covid-19 cases in Punjab to increased testing and the large number of people coming from outside.
“From 700 tests a day initially, testing has gone up to more than 10,000 a day,” he said, adding that in just four days, as many as 63,000 people had entered from other states, including Delhi.
To a question on why Punjab was not making Covid-19 negative certificates compulsory for those coming from hotspots like Delhi, as had been done by Himachal Pradesh, the Chief Minister said that he could not comment on the decision of the neighbouring state but his Government was taking its own steps to prevent influx of potential Covid-19 suspects.
The Chief Minister called upon the people to get themselves checked at the slightest symptom or doubt and not take any chances, as early detection of Covid-19 was essential to preventing deaths. “Disinfectants are being sprayed around the State to check the spread of other monsoon related viruses,” he added.
To a request from Punjab Medical Lab Technician Association that their role should be recognized as frontline warriors in Covid-19 management as they were exposed to high risk, with many having got infected in the process, the Chief Minister said that the technicians were very much frontline workers and their role in the current crisis would never be forgotten.