Punjab: After CM asks DC to review curbs, district-wise directions roll out

Soon after Punjab CM authorised DCs to issue district-specific Covid curbs while taking political leadership, trade and industry associations into confidence, various district heads issued orders revising guidelines aimed at breaking the chain of infection.

Ludhiana

Ludhiana DC Varinder Kumar Sharma has ordered that all shops in the district can open from 5am till noon from Monday to Friday. Curfew will be imposed in the city after that for all categories of shops, private offices. Not only this, even take away and home delivery is allowed only during curfew-relaxation hours.

Milk home delivery can be done from 5am till noon and also from 5 pm to 9 pm on all seven days. However, factories can operate 24×7 and their staff members can commute along with the identity cards issued by the company. Curfew passes need to be issued by administration for office employees commuting on vehicles other than bicycles. Banks, government offices will operate with 50 per cent strength and will be closed on weekends.

Bathinda

According to orders issued by Bathinda DC B Srinivasan, all non- essential shops can open from 9 am to 2 pm, while daily needs shops such as milk, grocery eggs bakery can open from 6 am till 10pm from Monday to Friday. Milk supplies will continue on all seven days. However, curfew will be imposed in the city from 3 pm onwards and even banks have been told to close by 2pm.

Public dealing in banks will be allowed till 1 pm. Sabzi mandis will close by 10 pm.

Muktsar

Muktsar DC Kumar Aravinda has ordered that all shops can open from 9am to 3pm from Monday to Friday. Supply of milk, fruits, vegetables will be allowed on all 7 days. Essential services like chemists, scan centres, medical labs etc will remain open 24×7.

Ferozepur

In Ferozepur, Beopar Mandal representatives met DC on Friday afternoon. The mandal demanded that all types of shops must be allowed to be opened for half day at least. However, no fresh orders have been issued as of now but sources revealed that new orders can be issued on Saturday. As of now, previous orders of closure of non- essential shops and opening of essential products’ shops till 5pm are in place.

Fazilka

In Fazilka as well, previous orders of closure of all non-essential shops and opening of essential shops are in force till May 15. Shopkeepers have stated that they will open their shops despite that from Monday onwards.

Sangrur

In Sangrur, DC Ramvir has allowed opening of shops in different slots. Shops that sell daily-needs items like milk, eggs, bakery,
grocery can open from 5 am till 9 am, while non-essential shops can open from 10 am to 2pm from Monday to Friday.

Milk, fruits and vegetable shops can also be opened in the evening from 4 pm-6 pm. Wholesale sabzi mandi, fruit mandis will be closed by 10 am.

Mansa

In Mansa, DC Mohinderpal issued orders to allow opening of kriana, dairy, bakery shops to open from 6 am to 10 am. All other shops can open from 10 am to 2 pm. These shops will open from Monday to Friday while medicine shops, petrol, diesel pumps, all types of activities related to healthcare will remain open 24×7.

Barnala

In Barnala, though the DC had issued orders of opening of shops in different slots till 6 pm on Thursday itself, but on Friday, no one adhered to these orders and all markets were open and packed till late evening. So, no fresh orders have been issued as of now. It was revealed that politicians were taking credit for helping people keep their shops open.

Faridkot

In Faridkot, previous orders of opening of shops for essential services and closure for non-essential products’ still exist. No
new orders were issued till the time of filing this report.

Jalandhar

To avoid the huge rush in the main subzi mandi (vegetable market), Jalandhar DC Ghanshyam Thori ordered issuing colour-coded passes to the vegetable vendors mostly who sell the vegetables on the ‘rehri’, for their entry in the subzi mandi. These passes would be in red and yellow colours for different days the entry in the subzi mandi. These passes would be issued by the market committee office. The arhtiyas in mandis will facilitate the vendors in this. Also, officials asked market committee officials to ensure the proper use of sanitisers by the vendors and wearing masks by everyone in proper manner.

In another order, the DC and Police Commissioner issued an order to the hotels, motels, guests houses that no one should be allowed to stay without getting the proper identity proof of the visitors and this record will be submitted every day to the respective police station.

The order says that the hotel staff will keep the self-attested photo and ID proof of the visitor. Also if any foreign national is staying then his information will be given to the police where his record will be registered in the foreigners registration office in the office of the police commissioner. Earlier only essential commodities shops were allowed to open, but now other shops can be opened with necessary restrictions.

Kapurthala

Kapurthala DC Deepti Uppal also imposed restrictions according to which milk, bread, karyana, subzi mandi, fruit shops will be opened 8 am to noon and all other shops can be opened from noon till 4 pm. Medicine shops will be open 24×7. Home delivery is allowed till 8 pm.