After assessing the prevailing worrisome situation of coronavirus in Punjab, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday warned people of imposing a complete state-wide lockdown if they continue to flout Covid-19 guidelines. He noted that people have shown laxity in regards to adhering to the rules imposed in the state to curb the further spread of the virus.
The Chief Minister stated that he had so far refrained himself from ordering a sweeping lockdown in Punjab because it will affect the lives of the poor the most and would lead to exodus of migrant labourers, plunging industries into chaos again. However, if the people do not stringently comply with the restrictions in place, harsher steps might have to be taken, he said.
The state is currently in a soft lockdown situation, with strong curbs in place, with additional restrictions imposed by the government on Sunday.
Singh, who chaired a high-level virtual meeting to review the Covid-19 situation, also ordered to stop all takeaway deliveries from restaurants, which was being used by youngsters as a pretext to move out of their homes. “Only home deliveries of food should be allowed," he directed the officials. He, however, gave permission for shops selling fertilisers to be open.
A record single-day spike of 157 Covid-19 fatalities and 7,327 new cases pushed Punjab’s death toll due to the disease to 9,317 and infection tally to 3,85,270, according to a medical bulletin issued on Sunday. The number of active cases rose to 60,108 from 58,229 on Saturday, it said.
Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here