COVID-19: Punjab imposes night curfew, no restrictions on political rallies

Punjab government on Tuesday imposed fresh
restrictions on public movement amid the rise in COVID-19 cases in the state
over the past few days. All educational institutions will remain shut and night
curfew will come into effect from today. 

Also Read: BJP leader Manoj Tiwari tests positive for COVID-19, cancels poll rally in Uttarakhand

The new measures to curb the spread of the
deadly virus came after Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi chaired a review
meeting to take stock of the COVID situation in the state.

According to the new order issued Tuesday,
all schools, colleges and universities will remain shut and students will
continue to attend virtual classes. However, medical and nursing colleges have
been permitted to function normally.

Also Read: Amid spread of COVID-19, offline ticket counters of Taj Mahal, Agra Fort closed

Public movement, including vehicles, will
not be allowed between 10 PM and 5 PM daily. Bars, cinemas halls, multiplexes,
malls, restaurants, spas, museums and zoos are allowed to operate at 50 per
cent capacity provided all staff members are fully vaccinated, the new order
stated.

The new anti-COVID measures in Punjab will
be in force till January 15.

Also Read: COVID vaccine for children: All you need to know

Meanwhile, sports complexes, stadia,
swimming pools and gyms will shut and only sportspersons training for national
or international events will be allowed to train.

According to the new order, only fully
vaccinated staff are allowed to attend government as well as private offices.

Also Read: Centre asks states to impose district-level restrictions amid COVID surge

No restrictions for political rallies, meetings 

However, the Punjab government did not
announce any restrictions on political meetings and rallies. Punjab is set to
undergo polling in February-March.

COVID-19 cases in the state have seen a
rapid rise in the last few days. The state, which clocked 51 cases on December
28, reported 419 cases on Monday. Notably, the number of samples tested dropped
during this time, leading to a spike in positivity. The positivity rate, an
indicator of the spread of infection in the community, rose from 0.46 per cent
on December 28 to 4.47 per cent yesterday.

Also Read: West Bengal announces COVID-19 curbs: What’s closed and what’s open

Currently, nine Indian states, including
Punjab, have imposed fresh COVID-19 restrictions in the wake of the rise in
cases.