Chandigarh rules out curbs to fight Covid surge, says will focus on vax drive

CHANDIGARH: Focus will be on inoculation instead of imposing restrictions to control the spread of novel coronavirus in the city, according to the UT administration.
As the vaccination drive for above 45 years old will start from Thursday, UT officials in a meeting discussed that the administration will encourage residents to go for the shots.
A senior UT official said they are declaring containment zones but are not in favour of major curbs as Chandigarh is the capital of Punjab and Haryana and they cannot restrict the entry of outsiders. The focus will be on vaccination drive, he clarified.
The administration has already restricted hotels, restaurant and bar timings till 11 pm owing to the increase in cases. Progress report of contact tracing teams is being regularly checked. Directions were issued to intensify contact tracing of positive cases.