News Analysis India

Tag: Punjab coronavirus cases

  • CM Amarinder Singh asks Punjab villages to only allow entry to COVID negative people

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: With the coronavirus pandemic spreading rapidly in rural areas, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday urged villagers to only allow COVID-negative people to enter their villages.

    During a Facebook Live telecast, Singh called for the implementation of strict measures to check the spread of the viral disease in the rural areas over the next two months, which, he said, would be “extremely crucial”.

    “Now the rural areas are seeing a surge in (COVID-19) cases, so we need to be very careful,” the chief minister said.

    “Don’t allow (unwell) people to enter (villages). Ask them to bring a (COVID-negative) certificate from the doctor,” he said.

    Singh asked villagers to conduct ‘thikri pehra’, wherein a few villagers, especially youths, form teams to guard village boundaries to prevent the entry of all outsiders except those providing essential services or government officials.

    Exhorting people to “save your neighbourhoods and villages to save yourself, your families and Punjab,” he stressed that one should visit a doctor as soon as they notice the first symptoms of COVID-19.

    “We have teams of doctors everywhere, approach them if you feel unwell,” Singh said.

    Noting that there are three stages of the disease, he said the first can be managed at home.

    “Let the doctor decide the course of treatment, don’t get into diagnosis and self-medication,” he added.

    Singh said, “I fail to understand why we are harming the interests of the state and your families in this manner.

    We do not want Punjab to go the way of Delhi and Maharashtra, which have experienced unprecedented problems amid the second COVID wave.

    ” Urging people to help his government protect Punjab against COVID-19, he said the disease is wreaking havoc all over the world and even the most advanced countries are not immune to it.

    As of Thursday, Punjab had recorded 4,75,949 COVID-19 cases and 11,297 deaths, according to a medical bulletin.

    The chief minister expressed happiness over the seamless completion of wheat procurement despite the challenges posed by the pandemic and lauded the state’s farmers for this achievement.

    As against 129 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of wheat procured last year, 132 lakh MT has been procured this year.

    This has resulted in earnings to the tune of Rs 26,000 crore for the farmers as against Rs 24,600 crore last year, Singh said.

  • CM Amarinder announces two-hour extension in night curfew in nine worst-hit districts of Punjab

    By ANI
    CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday said that curfew will be extended by two hours in nine districts of Punjab that are worst affected by the coronavirus.

    The curfew is imposed from 9 pm to 5 am from March 18 in the districts of Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala, Mohali, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Ropar that have been reporting more than 100 cases daily.

    The announcement came as Punjab’s daily cases shot up to 2039 with 35 deaths on Wednesday.

    Addressing media persons through video-conferencing, Chief Minister said, “COVID-19 situation is very dangerous in the state, around 2000 cases today” and warned about “several more tough measures and restrictions over the next few days”.

    “On tackling coronavirus, I’m going to be very tough though some may not like it. The curfew will start from 9 pm instead of 11 pm from today in nine districts of the state that have an increase in the number of corona cases,” he further said.

    “Several stringent measures, including restrictions on gatherings, will be announced after discussions with the state government’s expert Covid team over the next couple of days,” he said.

    “Whether these will include restrictions on political gatherings was also something that will be decided as per the medical expert team’s advice,” he added.

    He urged the people of Punjab to get medical care immediately when symptoms are noticed.

    “The problem was people were going to hospitals too late,” he said.

    He appealed to all citizens to wear masks and maintain social distance, warning that penalties may also be enhanced if required.

    “While his government was taking all possible measures to check the spread of the virus, the Chief Minister hoped the Centre would accept his suggestion (submitted at the Prime Minister’s meeting yesterday) on opening up the vaccination to younger people in the worst-hit areas and also to all those in public dealing,” said an official statement of Punjab government.

    “To a question on Himachal Pradesh CM’s statement seeking curbs on people coming in from Punjab for pilgrimage and religious purposes, Captain Amarinder said he was not in favour of restricting religious movement,” the release said.

    “But the Covid problem needs to be controlled, and an appropriate decision will be taken when he gets a formal letter from the chief minister of the neighbouring state on this issue,” further said the release. (ANI)