Tag: Punjab Lockdown

By PTI

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government on Wednesday decided to ease restrictions on public gatherings in the wake of improvement in the COVID-19 situation in the state.

According to the decision, the government has allowed an indoor gathering of 300 people and outdoor gathering of 500 people.

Earlier, it was 150 for indoor and 300 for outdoor gatherings.

While reviewing the Covid situation in the state, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi asked the School Education Department to encourage students to attend classes by following necessary health protocols, according to a government release.

Likewise, he also asked the Social Security, Women and Child Development Department to reopen ‘anganwadi’ centres while strictly following the prescribed Covid safety norms.

Expressing satisfaction over the decline in positivity rate of Covid cases, the chief minister also asked the Health Department to ensure strict compliance to Covid safety protocols including wearing of face masks and maintaining social distancing.

He also asked the department to ramp up the testing capacity up to 50,000 per day as a precautionary measure in view of the coming festive season.

While making a brief presentation on the current Covid scenario, Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Alok Shekhar said a total 232 cases were reported in past one week with an average of 33 positive cases per day, the release said.

He further said that from September 14 to 20, only one case of mucormycosis was reported, it said.

The state on Wednesday reported one Covid-related death and 26 fresh cases, a medical bulletin said.

So far, the total number of coronavirus cases reported in the state is 6,01,600, it stated.

The death toll rose to 16,513.

Three deaths were added to the toll after reconciliation of data, as per the bulletin.

Among the new COVID-19 cases, Mohali reported eight, followed by four in Gurdaspur and three in Jalandhar.

The number of active cases stands at 290.

Twenty-seven more people recovered from the infection, taking the number of those who have been cured to 5,84,797, as per the bulletin.

Chandigarh reported five cases, taking the total count of coronavirus cases to 65,224.

With no death reported in the last 20 hours, the toll remained at 819.

The number of active cases in the city was 42, while the number of cured persons was 64,363.

By PTI
CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government on Tuesday ordered reopening of schools for Classes 10 to 12 from July 26 as it further relaxed Covid curbs.

Besides, the state government also announced to increase the number of people for indoor events to 150 and outdoor programmes to 300, subject to an upper limit of 50 per cent of the capacity of the venue, a statement said.

Earlier, the gathering of 100 persons for indoor and 200 for outdoor events was allowed.

During a Covid review meeting, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said schools will be allowed to open for Classes 10 to 12, but only those teachers and staff will be allowed to be physically present who are fully vaccinated.

The presence of students at schools shall be purely at the consent of parents and the option of virtual classes shall be continued.

An undertaking to this effect shall be submitted to the deputy commissioner concerned, he said, according to the statement.

If the situation remains under control, the remaining classes will similarly be allowed to open from August 2, the CM announced, pointing out that the UK’s Cambridge University has predicted that the cases will further decline in the coming weeks.

With respect to social gatherings, the CM said artists or musicians shall be allowed at such functions or celebrations in all areas, with adherence to Covid protocols.

The relaxations came days after the CM had ordered opening of bars, cinema halls, restaurants, spas, swimming pools, coaching centres, sports complexes, gyms, malls, museums and zoos etc.

The state government had also earlier allowed colleges, coaching centres and all other institutions of higher learning to open with similar compliance.

The CM during a virtual review meeting said the month-wise whole genome sequencing has shown that the original virus has been replaced by variants and the Delta variant remained predominant even in the month of June.

However, there are no new cases of the Delta Plus variant, he said.

The state will also start a sero survey, especially focused on children in the age group of 6 to 17 ahead of a possible third Covid wave.

The survey will start this month.

Sero surveys or sero prevalence studies are based on analysis of antibodies collected through blood samples.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said the outcome of the sentinel sero-surveillance survey, aimed to assess the prevalence of the infection among under 18, will be utilised to determine further localised restrictions as the state prepares for the third wave, according to a government statement.

GIS-based surveillance and prevention tools will be used with an auto trigger mechanism for localised restrictions, he said.

Dr KK Talwar, head of Punjab’s expert committee on COVID-19, said in the first and second waves, 10 per cent of those infected were under 18 and while there was no concrete data to support such a projection, the state was preparing to handle more cases of children in the third wave.

The chief minister also ordered establishment of a paediatric unit in each district and one centre of excellence in paediatrics for the state.

While announcing Rs 331 crore for a possible third wave, in addition to the money already allotted for emergency Covid response, the CM said the government will establish liquid medical oxygen storage tanks in every district to ensure round the clock availability of the life-saving gas.

Medical gas pipeline systems will also be set up at each district and sub-division level, he said.

He also announced the establishment of 17 additional RT-PCR labs.

ICU beds in government hospitals shall also be increased to 142, and a hub and spoke model for telemedicine and teleconsultation will also be established, said Amarinder Singh.

The CM expressed satisfaction over the strategy for the preparation of the third wave, pointing out that testing has been maintained around 40,000- 45,000 a day, with special focus on high density areas and vulnerable population.

Contact tracing has also been maintained at 18 per positive patient.

Talwar further informed the meeting that Punjab was currently in a comfortable situation though the fear of a third wave continued, with the Indian Council of Medical Research predicting it by end of August or start of September.

The situation may not be as bad as in the second wave unless a new variant comes before that, he noted.

He, however, stressed the need for extreme caution with crowds building up even as cases were on the rise in some states.

The CM also announced extension of benefits of existing schemes for persons with disability to those suffering from any disability caused by mucormycosis.

The benefits will be extended as per the nature and degree of the disability, he said.

The chief minister directed the Medical Education Department to establish post-COVID care centres in government medical college hospitals for free follow-up of the cured cases of mucormycosis.

Though mucormycosis cases had declined, with only 3-4 cases reported per day last week, he directed the concerned departments to monitor the situation and keep close tabs on patients recovering from Covid.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday demanded 40 lakh more COVID-19 vaccine doses from the Centre on an urgent basis to inoculate the state’s eligible population.

Singh said the state was expecting 2.46 lakh doses to arrive Tuesday but noted that vaccines remain in short supply as it has run out of Covishield and was left with a mere 3,500 Covaxin doses as of Monday.

Punjab has already vaccinated more than 90 lakh eligible people (nearly 37 per cent of the eligible population) and has been utilising the stock without any wastage, the CM said in an official statement after a review meeting.

The Centre needs to arrange for immediate delivery of vaccines to the state to meet the shortfall and enable inoculation of all those needing the second dose, while continuing with the vaccination of other eligible persons, he said.

Pointing out that doses being supplied to private hospitals are getting wasted as people prefer government hospitals for free inoculation, Health Secretary Hussan Lal informed the meeting that the state has sought diversion of the stocks from the private hospitals but had not received any response so far from the Centre.

By PTI
CHANDIGARH: Amid a shortage of anti-coronavirus vaccine, the Punjab government on Thursday expanded the vaccination priority list for the 18-44 age group.

It will be effective from June 1, a government statement said.

The new priority list includes those from the hospitality sector, shopkeepers and their staff, industrial workers, street vendors, delivery boys, bus and cab drivers, conductors and members of local bodies.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who chaired a coronavirus review meeting here, said as of date, 4.3 lakh individuals in the existing vaccination priority list of construction labour, co-morbid individuals and families of healthcare workers have been vaccinated.

He said besides shopkeepers and their staff members, the expanded priority list will include industrial workers, the staff working in hotels, restaurants, marriage palaces and caterers.

Bus drivers, conductors, auto/cab drivers, mayors, councillors, sarpanches (village heads) and panches will also be covered from June 1, he said.

As far as the existing vaccine stocks are concerned, the state has only 36,000 Covishield and 50,000 Covaxin doses for the 45-plus age group and these are sufficient only for a day, those present at the meeting were told.

For the 18-44 age group, the state has so far received 4,29,780 of the 30 lakh doses ordered by it while no Covaxin dose had been received though an advance payment had been made for 1,14,190 doses, according to the statement.

By PTI
CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government on Thursday extended the coronavirus restrictions till June 10 but removed the limit on the number of passengers in personal vehicles and allowed the resumption of elective surgeries and OPD operations in hospitals.

The state government had imposed extensive curbs, in addition to measures like a weekend lockdown and a night curfew to check the spread of the infection.

The decision to extend the curbs was taken at a review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh here, according to a government statement.

Earlier, the state government had extended the Covid curbs till May 31.

The CM directed the resumption of elective surgeries in both government and private hospitals besides the restoration of outpatient department (OPD) operations in view of the improvement in the coronavirus situation, the statement said.

The state government had stopped elective surgeries on April 12 to ensure adequate availability of beds and medicine oxygen for serious infection cases.

The CM has now allowed these to be resumed, subject to the condition that there shall, for the present, be no reduction in beds for Level-3 coronavirus patients in hospitals.

The CM also said while the limit on the number of passengers in personal vehicles is being removed, the limit on commercial passenger vehicles and taxis will continue to be in place.

Earlier, the government had announced that not more than two persons could travel in a car.

Pillion riders on a two-wheeler were also not allowed, except for those belonging to the same family and living in the same house.

The deputy commissioners may make any adjustment for the opening of shops dealing in non-essential items as are merited by local conditions, the CM said.

According to the statement, given the comfortable oxygen situation currently, the CM directed that it now be allowed to be used for essential non-medical purposes, with a three-day buffer stock of it, however, to be maintained at all times.

He said oxygen concentrator banks have been created in every district for post-covid care patients who have a doctor’s prescription.

The control room had ensured that there was no shortage of oxygen in any hospital, he said, adding that the demand in the state had come down from 304 metric tonnes to 236 MT in the past 10 days.

The CM directed the Health and Medical Education Departments to continue strengthening the Covid care infrastructure to deal with a possible third wave of the pandemic.

He asked them to invest in augmenting paediatric care and to seek 500 ventilators for it from the Centre.

It was told at the meeting that all 809 ventilators received earlier under the PM Cares Fund have been distributed and 136 of them were not working.

The CM also ordered the creation of more technical and specialist posts to meet the demand of the possible third wave.

All mid-level IAS/PCS transfers in all departments should be put on hold till the Covid crisis continues, directed the CM.

The CM also warned that profiteering and fleecing of patients by private hospitals amid such a crisis will not be allowed at any cost.

By PTI
CHANDIGARH: Punjab on Saturday registered 201 more Covid-related fatalities, taking the death toll to 13,089, while 5,421 fresh cases pushed the tally to 5,33,973, according to a medical bulletin.

The state’s single-day recoveries outnumbered the fresh cases, with 7,363 discharges.

The number of active cases too dropped from 63,470 on Friday to 61,203 on Saturday, the bulletin said.

Twenty deaths each were reported from Bathinda and Patiala, 19 from Amritsar, 17 from Ludhiana and 16 from Mohali, among others.

Ludhiana reported a maximum of 582 fresh cases, followed by 555 in Mohali, 445 in Jalandhar and 411 in Bathinda, among others.

The state’s positivity rate marginally dropped from 6.92 per cent on Friday to 6.60 per cent on Saturday, the bulletin said.

With 7,363 recoveries in the past 24 hours, the number of cured persons in Punjab reached 4,59,681.

There are 381 critical patients who are on ventilator support, 1,127 other critical patients and 7,280 are on oxygen support, the bulletin said.

A total of 86,36,245 samples have been collected for testing so far in the state, it said.

Meanwhile, Chandigarh has registered 392 fresh COVID-19 cases.

Twelve more people died of the infection, taking the toll in the Union Territory to 692.

The number of active cases dropped from 5,675 on Friday to 5,265 on Saturday, the bulletin said.

A total of 52,172 patients have been cured of the contagion so far, it said.

As many as 4,81,446 samples were tested for COVID-19 so far and of them, 4,22,124 tested negative while reports of 86 samples were awaited.

The Punjab government on Saturday declared summer vacation in all schools from May 24 to June 23, according to a statement.

State Education Minister Vijay Inder Singla said all government, semi-government and private schools across the state will remain closed during the period.

The cabinet minister said due to the COVID-19 pandemic, educational institutions were already closed for students and now for a period of one month, schools will remain closed for teachers and other staff too.

The minister, in the official statement, said the state government has continuously been taking precautionary measures for the safety of people in the pandemic.

Singla said teachers have been teaching students with the help of various modes, including mobile applications and TV channels as the schools remained shut due to coronavirus.

By PTI
JALANDHAR: The Jalandhar district administration on Thursday provided financial assistance of Rs 50,000 to a man, who was seen carrying the body of his 11-year-old daughter on his shoulders in a viral video.

The man in the video was identified as Dilip Kumar, a daily wager, who lives in the Ram Nagar locality with his family.

His daughter died on May 9 at Amritsar and the cause of death was not COVID, officials said.

The family’s financial condition was not stable and they needed immediate assistance, Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori said.

The video captured by a passersby on May 10, showed Kumar carrying the body of his daughter, Sonu, to the cremation ground for her last rites.

Dilip, who hails from Odisha, said that his neighbours didn’t come forward to help him, fearing that the girl might have died of COVID.

Meanwhile, the DC instructed the health authorities to help poor and needy families with cremations of COVID-19 victims.

He directed them to make arrangements for the cremation and submit verified bills to his office.

By PTI
CHANDIGARH: Punjab on Tuesday registered a record 231 deaths due to COVID-19, pushing the toll to 12,317, while 7,143 fresh cases took the tally to 5,11,652, according to a medical bulletin.

The state’s single-day recoveries, which were registered at 8,174, again surpassed the single-day infections of 7,143.

The number of active cases also dropped from 73,616 on Monday to 72,277, according to the bulletin.

Thirty-four deaths were reported from Bathinda, 21 from Ludhiana, 19 each from Muktsar and Patiala and 16 from Amritsar, among the fatalities witnessed in the past 24 hours.

Ludhiana reported the maximum 991 cases, followed by 754 in Bathinda, 717 in Mohali and 663 in Jalandhar, among fresh cases.

The state’s positivity rate stood at 11.51 per cent, it said.

With 8,174 recoveries, the number of those recovered reached 4,27,058, the bulletin stated.

There are 422 critical patients who are on ventilator support, 1,213 other critical patients and 8,202 are on oxygen support, it said.

A total of 83,37,236 samples have been collected for testing so far in the state, the bulletin said.

Meanwhile, Chandigarh registered 526 cases, taking the count to 56,513, according to a medical bulletin.

Tuesday’s single-day cases was lower than 620 registered on Monday.

Six more people succumbed to COVID-19, taking the toll to 647.

The number of active cases dropped from 7,382 on Monday to 7,035, it said.

With 867 patients being discharged after recovery, the number of those recovered reached 48,831, the bulletin said.

A total of 4,68,017 samples have been taken for testing so far and of them, 4,10,333 tested negative while reports of 181 samples were awaited, it said.