Adoptinga graded approach to reopening, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singhon Monday ordered extension of Covid restrictions in the state to June 15 withcertain relaxations, including opening of shops till 6 p.m and private officesto function at 50% strength.
Nightcurfew will remain in force from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. on weekdays, includingSaturdays, but regular weekend curfew will continue on Sundays, the ChiefMinister announced.
Withcase positivity declining to 3.2% and active cases also coming down, the ChiefMinister allowed gatherings up to 20 people, including weddings and cremations.Entry restrictions (negative Covid test/vaccination) for arrivals in the statehave also been done away with.
Recruitmentexams will be allowed to be held subject to adherence to social distancing andother Covid appropriate norms, though the Chief Minister said online modeshould be preferred. Sports training for national and international events hasalso been permitted and the Department of Sports and Youth affairs has been asked to issue the necessary instructions and guidelines,which shall have to be strictly adhered to.
Reviewingthe Covid situation virtually, with ministers, senior police and administrativeofficials and health experts, the Chief Minister said district administrationmay determine opening of non-essential shops, including on weekend, on thebasis of local situation, while ensuring that crowding leading to spread ofCovid are avoided. On government offices, he said that attendance can bedecided by the head of the concerned office but co-morbid/disabled employees atrisk may be exempted.
Furtherrelaxations will be allowed in the coming weeks depending on the outcomes, ifthe cases continue to decline, said Captain Amarinder, adding that Gyms and Restaurantscould be opened after a week with 50%, and other conditions as per expertadvice, if the situation improves further. Owners and workers of the gyms andrestaurants should get themselves vaccinated prior to the reopening, he added.
Assertingthat Punjab could not afford to let its guard down despite the decline in caseload and increasing in testing, the Chief Minister said the virus mutationswere a matter of concern, even though the CFR was lower than the first wave.
TheChief Minister expressed satisfaction over the progress of the Corona MuktPendu Abhiyan in the villages, where almost 1.5 Crore individuals (37 lakhhouseholds) have already been screened. These efforts, he said, had resulted inidentification of 5889 positive patients who have been assisted as perprotocols. The week on week positivity has also reduced from 9 % to 3 %, headded, reiterating, however, the need to further strengthen the screening andtesting mechanisms to free the rural areas of the state from the pandemic.
Referringto the spread of Black Fungus (Mucormycosis), the Chief Minister said there arecurrently 381 cases of mucormycosis in the state, of which 38 have already beencured and 265 are undergoing treatment. There is an adequate supply of drugsfor treatment, he assured the people, adding that his government would continueto augment the supplies and ensure that there is no shortage of any essentialdrug in the state.
Forbetter management of cases, the Chief Minister asked the departments to reducetesting time. Post-Covid complications should be studied carefully for betterpreparation to handle those, he said, citing the example of Flying Sikh MilkhaSingh, who was discharged after Covid recovery but had to be again hospitalised. He said he had beeninformed that 20% of patients in hospitals in Patiala are similar cases ofrecovered patients being readmitted.
Punjab’sCovid Expert Group head Dr KK Talwar informed the meeting that almost 30% Covidpatients are having post Covid complications and continue to be symptomatic.Patients are taking almost three months to get back to normal, and thus need tobe strictly monitored, he added.