News Analysis India

Tag: Punjab covid cases

  • Book protesting opposition leaders, Punjab CM tells DGP

    By Express News Service
    CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh directed the Director General of Police to register cases under the Disaster Management Act against Opposition leaders and workers who have been staging dharnas in the state over the past few days.

    Terming such acts of the Shiromani Akali (SAD) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as “irresponsible” and “utter violation” of the curbs in place in view of the pandemic, Amarinder asked DGP Dinkar Gupta to take action against them.

    He said that at a time when people could not gather even for weddings and funerals, leaders and workers of these parties were behaving in a reckless manner, showing no concern for the safety and health of Punjabis. Such behaviour could not be allowed or tolerated, he added.

    ALSO READ | Centre to take over vaccination drive from June 21, only 25% for private hospitals: PM Modi

    Pointing out that the AAP dharna on Sunday was in fact in violation of the weekend curfew in place in the state, Amarinder said such protests and political gatherings are potential super-spreaders and had to be firmly tackled. 

    The law should take its course, he told the DGP, adding that political leaders had a big responsibility towards the society, which these parties had shunned, jeopardising the lives of Punjab’s people.

    This, he said, was not the time to play political games and indulge in dirty politicking but to come together to fight the pandemic to the finish.

    It may be recalled that even before the Covid restrictions came into effect in the state, he had announced that the ruling Congress in Punjab will not hold any political gatherings.

  • Punjab Health Minister orders probe into allegations of govt ‘diverting’ COVID vaccines to pvt hospitals

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: Punjab’s Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu on Friday said he has ordered a probe into the Oppositions’ allegations that the state government has been “diverting” Covid vaccines to private hospitals.

    Sidhu made the statement when he was specifically asked about the Oppositions’ allegation.

    “What I have learnt through media, I have already ordered for a probe and we will order a proper inquiry. We will keep the issue before the chief minister,” he said.

    Without going into the specifics of the allegations, he said he will first wait for the entire picture to emerge.

    On the opposition allegations, Sidhu, at the outset, said the vaccine programme is not concerned with his department.

    ALSO READ | Punjab Congress infighting: CM Amarinder Singh meets party panel in Delhi

    “The vaccine programme is not concerned with my Health Department and is under the control of Chief Secretary and Vikas Garg, who is the state’s nodal officer for the vaccination drive,” said Sidhu.

    He said his department conducts testing, treatment and administering vaccines.

    “As much as the supply of vaccines is made available to our department, we have been administering them free of cost in our hospitals and in the health camps which the department conducts,” he said.

    Punjab’s opposition party SAD had on Thursday accused the state’s Congress government of “diverting” Covid vaccines to private hospitals at “hefty margins”.

    Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, in a statement here, had alleged that vaccine doses were not available in the state but they were being sold to private institutions instead of being given free of cost to the common man.

    He claimed that a Covaxin dose costing Rs 400 to the state was being sold to private institutions at Rs 1,060.

    He said the private hospitals are further charging people Rs 1,560 for each dose.

    “This amounts to a cost of Rs 6,000 to Rs 9,000 per family for a single dose”.

    Badal had alleged that in Mohali alone, 35,000 doses were sold to private institutions to “earn a profit” of nearly Rs two crore in a single day.

    He said it was “immoral” for the Congress government to “make a profit” from the sale of vaccines.

    “The government was also punishing people by forcing them to cough up Rs 1,560 per dose during a time of economic slowdown,” he alleged.

    Badal had demanded a high court-monitored probe into how the Congress government was allegedly creating an “artificial shortage” of vaccines for the common man by selling its doses at a “hefty profit” to private hospitals, the SAD said in a statement.

  • ‘It will turn into a superspreader’: Punjab CM urges BKU to call off dharna in Patiala amid Covid surge

    Express News Service
    CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh has urged Bhartiya Kisan Union to not act irresponsibly after the farmers outfit of the state, Ekta Ugrahan, has announced a three-day dharna in Patiala, the CM’s home town. 

    The CM said that the dharna will jeopardise the lives of their own people if such reckless behaviour is shown amid the pandemic and the event could turn into a super spreader. 

    Amarinder said his government had fought hard to prevent Punjab going the way of some other states, such as Delhi, Maharashtra and even Uttar Pradesh (where bodies floating in the Ganga river had exposed the total pandemic mismanagement by the BJP-ruled states.) 

    Such events had the potential to negate the gains made by his government in tackling Covid in the state, he said.

    He urged the farmers’ group to not gather especially when the government has banned these events

    Such a dharna would draw people mainly from the villages, which were in any case going through a crisis during the second wave of the pandemic, he pointed out.

    The group’s action was also completely unwarranted considering the total support the state government had extended all these months to the agitating farmers on the issue of the Centre’s black Farm Laws, said Amarinder. His government was the first to pass the amendment laws in the state Assembly to contravene the Farm Laws, he pointed out. “It is time for the farmers to reciprocate by supporting the state government in the fight against the pandemic,” he said.

    Pointing out that even during the peak of the second Covid surge in Punjab, things had not gone out of control here as they had in several other states, he said the state had been one of the best performing so far in terms of pandemic management. 

    There were no widespread shortages of Oxygen in hospitals despite shortfall in supply, as the state government had ensured judicious management of the critical commodity, he noted, adding that even availability of medications and beds had been continuously ramped up to keep pace with the spiralling cases. This, he pointed out, was in sharp contrast to states like Delhi, Maharashtra and UP.

  • Punjab announces Rs 10 lakh special grant to each fully vaccinated village

    Express News Service
    CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government on Tuesday announced a special development grant of Rs 10 lakh to every village that achieves 100% vaccination target under the state government’s ‘Corona Mukt Pind Abhiyan’.

    Interacting virtually with over 2,000 village Panchayat head and members, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh appealed to Sarpanches and Panches across the state to lead their villages in the fight against Covid

    He urged them to motivate people to undergo testing even with mild symptoms, and to get them vaccinated. The government had already permitted Sarpanches to spend from the Panchayat funds for emergency Covid treatment upto a maximum of Rs 50,000, the CM said.

    Singh asked the Panchayats to organize special medical camps, and to rope in ex-servicemen who are now part of the state’s fight against the pandemic.  

    He asked the Sarpaches and Panches to start ‘theekri pehra’ to prevent infected persons from entering into the villages, and also distribute Fateh Kits to every person who tests positive, besides ensuring proper treatment in case oxygen saturation level goes below 94%.

    He also urged the people living in villages to immediately quarantine themselves in case of any symptoms, and get themselves tested to ensure early detection of the infection.

    The Chief Minister said, “I alone can’t do anything as a Captain. The concerted efforts jointly put in by the team will help us achieve our goal. “While the cases had come down from a daily average of around 9,000 to 6,947, the situation continued to be grim with many people still dying, mainly because they were seeking medical intervention too late to help them. This, he said, was evident from the fact with 64% occupancy of level 2 beds and 85% at level 3. 

    “Had these people sought medical aid at initial stage, eventually several precious lives could have been saved,” he added.

    He exhorted villagers to strictly adhere to the health protocols and guidelines issued by the state government from time to time. He said the state government had set up 24×7 helpline ‘104’ for assistance, with all the home isolation patients being monitored through daily calls by health teams. They were also being given food kits comprising 10 kg Atta, 2 kg Chana, 2 kg sugar for each member of the family, in addition to 10 kg Atta being provided by the Union Government.

    Food kits to all poor patients, who tested positive, are also being provided as they lose their wages for two weeks or more. Apart from these, the CM said, he had ordered 5 lakh food kits for the poor who are adversely impacted by Covid restrictions. 

  • Army’s Western Command sets up three Covid hospitals in Faridabad, Patiala and Chandigarh

    Express News Service
    CHANDIGARH: The Western Command of the Army has set up three Covid hospitals in Chandigarh, Patiala, and Faridabad. Each of the facilities has the capacity to accommodate 100 mild to moderate patients. 

    The hospitals will be open for civilians on May 10. 

    Meanwhile, the Western Command also provided eight service ambulances across the National Capital Region (NCR) to overcome the shortage.

    In an effort to support the civil administration, 33 paramedics from the Western Command have been deployed at Government Rajendra Hospital at Patiala and SVBP Hospital in Delhi. As many as 100 more paramedics will be deployed shortly at various locations. 

    Besides, 108 doctors, 14 nursing officers, and 205 paramedics of the Army have already been serving in various hospitals set up by DRDO.

    ALSO READ | DRDO’s anti-COVID drug reducing oxygen dependence approved for emergency use

    To tide over the shortage of oxygen in the region, a dedicated team of Army electronics and mechanical engineers are working round the clock to resuscitate the oxygen plant under Bhakra Beas Management at Nangal.

    Consequent to the recent virtual meet with the Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and requests received from other neighbouring states, the Western Command, which has its footprints in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Union Territories of Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Delhi, has set-up several Covid-related facilities.

    During the virtual meet, Capt Amarinder had shared his concerns over the increase in Covid cases, especially in the major cities of Punjab, and sought for assistance of Western Command in setting up of hospitals, provisioning of paramedics, and technical assistance to revive the defunct oxygen plants in the state. Chief of Western Command Lt Gen RP Singh had assured him of all possible assistance.

  • SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal and others booked for violating COVID-19 guidelines

    Express News Service
    CHANDIGARH: Shiromani Akali Dal president and former deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has been booked by the Punjab Police for allegedly flouting COVID-19 guidelines issued by the state government.

    Police sources said that Badal had on Wednesday held a function at his residence in Badal village which is in Muktsr district of Punjab for Arshdeep Singh Robin Brar who was newly appointed as president of Students Organization of India, a youth wing of the Shiromani Akali Dal in which more than hundred party leaders and activist of SOI took part and Sukhbir himself addressed them. Of those who were present were Muktsar MLA Kanwarjit Singh Rozy Barkandi and senior party leader Tejinder Singh Midhukhera.

    Police registered a case against Sukhbir Badal and Arshdeep Singh Robin Brar and other hundred unidentified people for disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant at the Lambi Police Station in Muktsar district.

    “In a video, a leader is heard asking the people attending the function not to take pictures or make a film of those present. But that video is leaked on social media. Also, Sukhbir is asking the activists to start working for the next assembly elections, ‘’ said an insider.

    Already the state government had imposed a ban on all social, political and cultural gatherings in the wake of a resurgence in COVID-19 infection in the state.

  • Army offers medical staff to Punjab, says will revive defunct oxygen plants

    Express News Service
    CHANDIGARH: The Western Command of the Indian Army on Monday extended all possible help, including medical staff and medically-trained combatants, to Punjab to meet the exigent shortage in the hospital, along with support in reviving the defunct oxygen plants.

    Lt-Gen RP Singh, GOC-in-C, Western Command, at a virtual meeting with CM Capt Amarinder Singh with senior Command officials, also offered to provide staff to run the 100-bed Covid facility proposed to be set up in the building loaned to the state government by CSIR for the purpose.

    Met with GOC-in-C Western Command & @ADGPI Officials to seek their assistance in our fight against #Covid19. Thank them for their positive response to work closely with the State Government for both treatment of patients & management of logistics of Oxygen supply.

    Lt-Gen RP Singh later said at another review meeting with top officials of the state government and medical experts that the government was also approaching the Union Home Ministry to provide manpower and ICU beds through the Border Security Force (BSF).

    Technical and specialist cover will be provided by the Command Centre, Lt Gen Singh told Amarinder, adding that 15 trained nurses had already been sent to Patiala to support the civic staff. Further, experts will be sent to visit the defunct oxygen plants at existing industrial units to assess their status and extend whatever support needed for their restoration.

    ALSO READ | 76 deaths, 7,014 coronavirus cases in Punjab; Amarinder urges people to follow COVID norms

    Though their resources were stressed on account of requirements also from other states, including Delhi, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, the Army officials said they will extend all possible help to Punjab to tackle the situation, which the Chief Minister said was critical, with Ludhiana alone reporting 1,300 plus cases on Monday and oxygen allocation from the Centre currently at only 105 tonnes as against the demand of 300 tonnes daily. Of the 105 tonnes, the state was actually getting only 85 tonnes as the rest was being diverted to PGI Chandigarh.

    In an internal review meeting later, the chief of the Western Command said the state government was making all efforts to secure medical oxygen to supplement its depleting stocks. The meeting was informed by Secretary Industries, Alok Shekhar, that Jalandhar and Amritsar had been facing a crisis situation on the Oxygen front for the past few days, which the state had somehow handled through judicious management. 

  • Punjab announces ban on political rallies till April 30 to combat new Covid wave

    By Express News Service
    CHANDIGARH: With the UK Covid-19 variant running rampant in the state and accounting for 85% of the new cases, Punjab has announced a ban on political gatherings and rallies in the state till April 30. If any political party or leader is found to be violating the order, they will be booked under the Disaster Management Act (DMA) and Epidemics Act. 

    The state government has also announced the imposition of a night curfew from 9 pm to 5 am across Punjab. Earlier, it had been imposed in only 12 districts.

    The order is expected to lead to another face-off between the ruling Congress and opposition SAD and AAP. Both the SAD and AAP have been holding gatherings across the state in the run-up to assembly polls next year.

    Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh said he had no option but to go in for stricter measures to control the ongoing surge, even though the number of new cases had stabilized to an extent in the last few days due to curbs imposed earlier. 

    He said he had been forced to order the ban on political gatherings as his pleas to all political parties to refrain from organising such events had been ignored, despite the fact that the Congress party had unilaterally announced its decision of not holding any rallies or public meetings last month.

    ALSO READ | Pakistani smuggler gunned down along International Border; 22kg heroin, arms seized

    Expressing surprise at the behaviour of certain political leaders, including Delhi Chief Minister and national convenor of AAP Arvind Kejriwal and Sukhbir Singh Badal President of Shiromani Akali Dal, who had been attending political rallies without following safety protocols, he said such irresponsible conduct doesn’t behove them. 

    “How do you expect people to be serious about the spread of the disease if senior political leaders behave like this,” he asked, adding that his government will need to be tough to tackle such violations and political leaders will also need to be booked.

    He ordered the police and the district administrations to register cases against the political leaders, organizers and participants of political gatherings under the DMA and Epidemics Act, besides booking the owners of the tent houses, who provide the infrastructure for such gatherings. He said even the venue owners, who would provide space for such events, will not be spared and they too will be booked and their venues sealed for three months.

    CM Amarinder in his weekly review of the Covid situation expressed concern at the high positivity and mortality rates in the state. He said it was a matter of concern that over 85 per cent of cases in Punjab are being caused by the UK variant, which is more contagious and virulent.

    Only a maximum of 50 people can now attend funeral and cremations and weddings held indoors while 100 people are allowed if these events are held outdoors. Wearing of masks has been made mandatory for all government employees while at offices.

    These restrictions, coupled with the ones imposed earlier, which include closure of schools and educational institutions, shall remain effective till April 30. 

    There was some respite for shop owners in malls, as the government allowed entry of 10 people into any shop at any given time, as against the earlier order of not allowing more than 100 people in a mall at one time. This would imply that 200 people will be allowed in a mall with 20 shops at any given time.

    The Punjab CM further said that no social, cultural or sports gatherings and related functions will be allowed till April 30.  In-person public dealings shall be restricted in all Government offices and online and virtual modes for grievance redressal shall be encouraged, he said while adding that all government employees will need to compulsorily wear a mask while attending office. Amarinder said citizens should be encouraged to visit public offices only for essential services and the concerned departments should issue instructions announcing the limiting of daily appointments. He said restrictions of running cinema houses at 50 per cent of their capacity shall continue till April 30.

    He also directed Punjab DGP, Dinkar Gupta, to ensure strict implementation of the night curfew. 

  • Punjab government orders fresh curbs, shuts educational institutions to check COVID surge

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: Amid a surge in coronavirus cases in Punjab, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has ordered a slew of restrictions beginning Saturday which include closing of all educational institutions till month-end and curbs on cinema and mall capacities.

    In the 11 worst-hit districts, a complete ban has been ordered on all social gatherings, except for funerals and weddings, which will be allowed with only 20 persons in attendance.

    This will be enforced from Sunday.

    The chief minister also appealed to people to keep social activity in their homes to the bare minimum for the next two weeks to break the transmission chain, according to an official statement.

    Not more than 10 visitors should be entertained in homes, he urged chairing a meeting of the COVID task force here.

    Reviewing the prevailing Covid situation in the State with DCs, SSPs and other senior Health officials. There is an increasing surge of #Covid19 cases in Punjab. It is important that we all strictly follow wearing of masks and observe other safety precautions to save lives. pic.twitter.com/rBbhIbiiLr
    — Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) March 19, 2021

    The chief minister also ordered the compulsory wearing of a face mask, directing police and the health authorities to take all those loitering in public areas without it to the nearest testing facility to ensure that they are not asymptomatic cases.

    The situation will be reviewed after two weeks, said the chief minister.

    Dr K K Talwar, who heads the state government’s expert team on coronavirus, told the chief minister that the surge in cases appeared to be the result of the opening of schools and colleges, with young asymptomatic people appearing to be spreading the virus.

    “All educational institutions, other than medical and nursing colleges, will remain closed till March 31,” the statement said.

    In the wake of the spike in cases, the Department of School Education had last week declared preparatory leave for students of all classes.

    Restriction of 50 percent capacity will be there in cinema halls and not more than 100 persons in a mall at any time.

    In the worst-hit districts, the chief minister has ordered cinemas, multiplexes, restaurants, and malls to remain closed on Sundays, though home deliveries will be allowed subject to night curfew.

    The Punjab Congress too will not hold any political gathering for the next two weeks.

    The CM appealed to other political parties to keep their gatherings within the prescribed numbers—50 percent of capacity, subject to a maximum of 100 in closed and 200 in open spaces.

    No political gatherings should take place in the most affected districts, he said.

    Industries and essential services shall be allowed to function.

    Barring these, all restrictions shall be strictly enforced, the chief minister directed.

    ALSO READ | Night curfew timing in Surat increased by an hour with spike in COVID-19 cases

    Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu told the CM that the procurement of crops will start from April 10, instead of April 1, as the department needed more time to make arrangements to ensure safe procurement.

    The CM also asked the Amritsar Deputy Commissioner to talk to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee (SGPC) and the management of the Durgiana temple to encourage devotees to wear masks inside the shrines.

    The rise in cases is a matter of serious concern, particularly in rural areas which had seen much fewer cases last year, said the Chief Minister, directing the departments concerned to launch awareness campaigns in villages.

    Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Sidhu said told the CM that unlike previously when there were more cases in cities, now infection numbers were almost equally divided between urban and rural areas.

    In the 11 worst-affected districts of Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala, Mohali, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, SBS Nagar, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ropar and Moga, the chief minister ordered restrictions on in-person public dealings in government offices with people to be encouraged to visit offices only for essential services.

    Amarinder Singh directed officials to encourage online modes for grievance redressal.

    Starting next week, one hour of silence will be observed across the state every Saturday, from 11 am to 12 noon, in memory of those who lost their lives to COVID-19.

    Directing health officials to ramp up testing to 35,000 per day, the chief minister said the special focus should be on super spreaders, government employees, and teachers in educational institutions.

    Rapid antigen testing should be stepped up along with the RT-PCR testing, he ordered while directing contact tracing and testing to be taken up to 30 per positive person.

    Dr K K Talwar said there is no evidence as of now to show that the spike is due to mutants as only two cases of new strains have been found in Punjab.

    The state currently has almost 40 percent cases from the under 30 population, he added.

    As of Thursday, Punjab’s infection tally was 2,05,418 while the total fatalities stood at 6,204, according to a medical bulletin.

  • COVID-19: Seven more deaths, 582 new cases in Punjab

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: Punjab continued to see an upswing in fresh coronavirus cases on Sunday as it reported 582 new infections, pushing the infection tally to 1,82,176, officials said.

    On Saturday, the state had witnessed 595 new COVID-19 cases.

    With seven more fatalities, the toll rose to 5,832, according to a medical bulletin.

    The number of active cases also jumped from 4,436 on Saturday to 4,632 on Sunday.

    Jalandhar reported the maximum new cases at 108, followed by Kapurthala (75), Mohali (67), and Patiala 64.

    A total of 376 coronavirus patients were discharged after recovering, taking the number of cured people to 1,71,712, the bulletin said.

    There are nine critical patients who are on ventilator support while 81 are on oxygen support, the bulletin said.

    A total of 49,99,390 samples have been collected for testing so far in the state, it said.