Amid
a steep surge in COVD-19 cases in Punjab, the state government announced new set
of restrictions in 11 districts to curb the coronavirus infection, announced
health minister Balbir
Singh Sidhu on Friday. The decision has been taken after a high level review meeting with
Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, reported ANI.
Also Read | ‘Second COVID wave’ in Maharashtra; Nagpur, Pune and Mumbai worst-hit
Balbir Singh said new restrictions will impact night curfew hours, schools, colleges and cinema halls among other public places. Here’s a list of changes to be implemented from Friday in Punjab.
1- Night curfew from 9 pm in 11 districts of the state.
2- Schools, colleges except medical colleges will be closed.
3- Cinema halls will operate with only 50% of the total capacity.
4- More than 100 people will not be allowed inside the mall at any given time.
5- One hour of silence to be observed in the state from next week between 11 am to 12 noon for those who died of COVID-19
6- No vehicle will be allowed to ply at this hour.
Meanwhile, Amarinder Singh on Thursday announced a two hour extension in night curfew in the nine-worst affected districts of Punjab.
The night curfew will now be in place from 9 pm, instead of 11 pm, to 5 am in Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala, Mohali, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Rupnagar.
Also Read | Amid buzz of his return, Navjot Sidhu bonds with Amarinder Singh over tea
Addressing a press briefing to mark the completion of four years of his government in the state, Singh labelled the coronavirus situation in the state as “critical and warned of stringent measures if people failed to comply with health-safety protocols, PTI reported.
Punjab on Thursday reported 2,387 new coronavirus cases with 32 deaths while a number 2,039 new cases and 35 more fatalities were reported in the state a day earlier.