PremiumIn a notice issued, the state government also underlined that the citizen of Punjab should follow all established Covid protocols. This includes wearing face masks, maintaining social distance, and frequent sanitizing of hands and frequently touched surfaces.
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"All previous instructions on all Covid-19 related restrictions are removed with immediate effect," a notice issued by the Department of Home Affairs and Justice of Punjab read. The Punjab government has decided to remove all ongoing restrictions to curb the spread of the virus with immediate effect.
In a notice issued, the state government also underlined that the citizen of Punjab should follow all established Covid protocols. This includes wearing face masks, maintaining social distance, and frequent sanitizing of hands and frequently touched surfaces.
Punjab on Monday registered only 48 new cases (and zero deaths) in 24 hours. Over seven lakh Covid cases have been recorded in Punjab so far. The active caseload has dropped to 265 after a huge surge in January that was driven by the Omicron variant.
According to the state government's media bulletin, the positivity rate stands at 0.37 per cent and the number of recovered persons is over 7.4 lakh.
On 15 February the Department of Home Affairs and Justice had extended restrictions for 10 days. Maximum capacity at gatherings, however, were set at 50%, providing the rules are followed.
Punjab recently held a high-profile Assembly election, campaigning for which was largely curtailed on orders of the Election Commission of India. The ECI had initially barred in-person and physical rallies in the state (as well as in Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Uttarakhand, and Manipur, where elections were also held) before easing limits as cases declined.
Rallies and roadshows could be held with full attendance only from 22 February, so long as prior permission was obtained from concerned officials in each district.
Concerns had been expressed, when election dates were announced, of a surge in Covid cases in voting states like that seen in Bengal and Tamil Nadu this time last year.
Meanwhile, India will begin vaccinating children in the 12-14 age group from Wednesday. All adults above 60 years of age will be eligible for booster doses.
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