Punjab Government has announced to relax lockdown measures from April 20 while declaring more goods as essential including the sale of air-conditioners, air-coolers, fans and their repair shops amid approaching summer, besides permitting sand and gravel mining and stone crushing as part of construction-related activities, along with allowing operation of book shops, among others from Monday.
In line with the Centre’s guidelines, the state would also allow industrial activity in rural areas, provided that operators of industries, employing 10 or more persons, should make all arrangements for the stay or transport of workers.
As per new orders issued by the state Home Department, ‘dhabas’ have also been allowed to remain open but they will serve only packed food.
At the same time, it has been clarified that any activity in the containment zones would continue to be banned.
The State Government has authorized the Deputy Commissioners or District Magistrates to exercise due diligence in regulating timings of various establishments including industries and other permitted activity depending upon local requirements and norms of social distancing.
The trigger for establishing a containment zone is the discovery of two or more confirmed cases of Covid-19 in a locality. The zone is to be set-up by district authorities (DC, SSP, and CS) based on the number of cases, their geographical distribution, and feasibility of sealing the area.
The containment zone can accordingly be starting from a locality to a colony, sector (village), single or multiple wards or the entire city itself, the spokesperson said adding that the guidelines dated April 15, 2020, would be applicable only outside the containment zone which may not be confused with hot-spot, red zone etc.
These set of directions have been issued for the implementation of the Central Government’s revised Covid-19 containment guidelines from April 20, 2020.
In the state, Mohali, Jalandhar, SBS Nagar (Nawanshahr), and Pathankot districts have been declared as coronavirus hotspots, and with Patiala also reporting 15 cases in a day, it is also expected to figure in the red zone.
“The state will follow complete curfew till May 3, 2020, and the prevailing practice of requiring a curfew pass for movement during curfew shall continue,” said the official spokesperson.
Spokesperson said that the State Government has also allowed industrial activity on the condition of due arrangements of stay in factory or transport of workers to be taken care of by the operator, involving employment of 10 or more persons. The prevailing practice of requiring a curfew pass for movement during curfew shall continue.
Construction-related activities like stone crushers, sand and gravel mining have been permitted. Even though it is not specifically mentioned in the (Centre’s) guidelines, it is implied that the related activities in terms of stone crushers, mining of sand and gravel and its transport, sale outlets of cement, steel etc, are also to be permitted. Their working norms can be regulated, as per instructions.
The Centre in its revised guidelines to states for containment of Covid-19 has allowed construction of roads, irrigation projects, buildings, water supply and sanitation, renewable energy projects, continuation of works in construction projects within the municipal limits.