News Analysis India

Tag: Chandigarh Lockdown

  • COVID-19 second wave: Weekend lockdown in Chandigarh, again

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: The Chandigarh administration has decided to impose a weekend lockdown again to check the coronavirus spread.

    The administration had imposed a weekend lockdown last week too while it ordered the closure of shops selling non-essential items till May 11.

    It had imposed a daily night curfew from 6 pm to 5 am.

    A weekend lockdown will again be imposed in the Union Territory, beginning 5 am on Saturday and will continue till 5 am on Monday, according to an order after a review meeting here.

    However, during this period, morning walk will be allowed from 6 am to 9 am.

    The shops selling essential items like dairy products and vegetables will remain open for home delivery up to 2 pm.

    No person will leave home or move on foot or by vehicle or travel or stand or roam around on any road or public place during the lockdown hours, the order issued by District Magistrate Mandip Singh Brar said.

    However, industrial units will be allowed to remain open.

    The movement of their employees and vehicles carrying them will be allowed.

    The manufacturing units concerned will issue their staff requisite permission or identity cards for the purpose and details of that have to be shared with the Director, Industries.

    Those tasked with law and order and municipal services, health, electricity, fire and telecom services have been exempted from the restrictions.

    There shall be no curbs on inter-state movement of essential and non-essential goods while vehicles in bonafide inter-state transit shall be allowed to pass but only after due verification of point of origin and destination, the order said.

    Passengers going to or returning from the airport or railway station or ISBT shall be exempted.

    Those going for for an examination and on exam duties will be allowed movement on production of admit/identity cards, as per the order.

    All medical facilities, including dispensaries, vaccination and testing centres, will remain open.

    Kitchens at restaurants, hotels and other eateries can remain open for home delivery only up to 9 pm.

    Their staff shall be allowed to move on production of valid identity card issued to them by their employer.

    Pregnant women and patients getting medical services will be exempted from the lockdown restrictions.

    Marriages with prior permission from the SDM concerned with the attendance of up to 50 persons shall be allowed.

    Funerals or last rites with attendance of up to 20 persons are allowed, the order said.

    The government employees working in the tricity (Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula) will be allowed transit on production of valid identity cards and duty orders.

    Any breach of the orders will invite action as per the law.

    Chandigarh, the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana and a Union Territory, has so far reported 541 deaths and 47,552 coronavirus cases.

  • Chandigarh administration announces one-day lockdown on Wednesday

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, the Chandigarh administration announced a one-day lockdown in the city on Ram Navami on Wednesday. The administration also extended the night curfew and weekend lockdown by two hours.

    Currently, the night curfew is being imposed from 10 pm to 5 am. A proposal regarding a seven-day lockdown will be taken up on Friday. The decisions were taken by UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore during a coronavirus review meeting with senior officials and experts, said an official spokesperson.

    The joint capital of Punjab and Haryana has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases in the past a few days. On Tuesday, the city had reported 602 cases, taking the infection tally to 35,148 in the UT, which has reported 421 deaths from the disease so far.

    According to an order issued by the deputy commissioner, home delivery of essential commodities such as food, groceries, vegetables and medicines will be allowed. Non-essential movement shall be prohibited, it said.

    The order said that there shall be no curb on inter-state movement of essential and non-essential goods. The administration announced that the weekend lockdown will start now from 8 pm on April 23 till 5 am on April 26.

    The last weekend lockdown on April 16 had started from 10 pm. The proposal regarding the seven-day lockdown will be considered in the next meeting slated for Friday, it said, adding a decision will be taken after taking into account the number of virus cases in the city.

    Badnore directed the police authorities to strictly enforce the lockdown and the night curfew. All violators must be strictly dealt with, he directed. If necessary, vehicles should be seized and heavy fine should be imposed on those indulging in non-essential travel or those violating the virus protocol, he said.

    Badnore, who is also the Punjab Governor, appealed to residents not to crowd the hospitals. “Only critical cases should be admitted as per medical advice and coronavirus patients with mild symptoms should opt for home isolation,” he said.

    In the meeting, Bipin Kausal from the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) said they are procuring additional stock of critical medicines like Remdesivir and Tocilizumab.

    The doctors at the meeting mentioned about an alarming development, in which many patients were found to have been infected with the infection even after receiving the first dose of anti-virus vaccine.

    The statement said that this is possibly due to negligence and non-adherence to the COVID protocol. The Administrator advised them to examine the matter at the highest-level and find the best solution.

    While expressing concern about rising cases, he directed all medical institutions to enhance their bed capacity and store adequate quantity of medicines and equipment to handle the increasing number of patients.

    He directed the PGIMER authorities to convert a “sarai” into a temporary hospital, where at least patients with moderate symptoms could be kept and treated.

    The Administrator appealed to retired doctors, medical staff and members of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) to come forward and coordinate with the health authorities in the fight against coronavirus.

  • COVID-19: Restaurants, hotels in Chandigarh to operate at 50 per cent capacity

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: The Chandigarh administration on Monday directed restaurants and hotels in the Union Territory to operate at 50 per cent capacity amid a surge in coronavirus cases.

    Besides, all restaurants in the city will close by 11 pm and the last order can be taken till 10 pm.

    Schools, colleges and other educational institutions in Chandigarh will remain closed till March 31, according to an official statement.

    All public “Holi-Milan” gatherings have been banned and clubs and hotels will not allow any ceremonial gatherings.

    “The residents must celebrate the Holi festival at home while following appropriate COVID protocol,” the statement said.

    Museums, libraries, auditoriums and theatres, etc.Besides, all restaurants in the city will close by 11 pm and the last order can be taken till 10 pm.run by the Chandigarh administration will also remain closed till further orders.

    No new permission will be granted for holding any exhibition/mela to entertain gatherings.

    However, all those exhibitions which were given permission earlier might be allowed as per their schedule, the statement said.

    Permission from the Chandigarh deputy commissioner will be mandatory for holding any event, including political and social gatherings and even wedding functions.

    Strict monitoring of COVID appropriate behaviour will be done in crowded places like Sukhna lake, ‘Apni Mandis’, markets and malls, the statement said.

    The decisions were taken in a meeting here presided over by Punjab Governor V P Singh Badnore, who is also the administrator of UT Chandigarh.

    The meeting was attended by Manoj Parida, adviser to the administrator, the DGP Chandigarh and PGIMER director, among others.

    Badnore directed PGIMER authorities to enhance the sample testing to 1,200 per day, out of which at least 600 samples sent by the UT administration should be accepted daily.

    He suggested that contact tracing should be intensified and all those who have come into contact with positive cases must be mandatorily tested.

    He also mentioned that visitors coming to Chandigarh by bus, train, air and other public transport modes should be invariably screened and wherever symptoms found, those people must be tested to check infection.

    In the meeting, it was also decided to allow vegetable/fruit vendors to sell their items in carts by visiting various residential areas, as it will reduce the crowd in Apni Mandis and the wholesale market in Sector 26 here.

    Hosts in various events such as weddings and political gatherings should ensure that all participants wear masks, the statement said.

    Badnore appealed to medical authorities to ensure that they are in readiness to handle the increasing number of coronavirus patients, who are coming for treatment in the hospitals.

    Chandigarh has reported a surge in coronavirus cases in the last few days.

    The number of active cases in the city had risen from 1,717 on Saturday to 1,872 on Sunday, according to a medical bulletin.