The Punjab government on Tuesday ordered closure of schools and colleges and imposition of night curfew to restrict public movement following a sharp rise in Covid cases in the state over the past few days.
The fresh curbs were announced after Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi chaired a review meeting to take stock of the Covid situation in the state.
OP Soni, Punjab Health Minister, said the third wave of coronavirus has arrived and face masks should be mandatory for everyone.
According to the new order, all educational institutions, including schools, colleges and universities, shall remain shut for offline classes and virtual classes will continue. Medical and nursing colleges, however, have been permitted to function normally.
A night curfew will be in force from 10 pm to 5 am daily. Bars, cinemas halls, multiplexes, malls, restaurants, spas, museums and zoos may operate at 50% capacity provided all staff members are fully vaccinated, the new order states.
The new set of restrictions will be in force till January 15.
Sports complexes, stadia, swimming pools and gyms have been shut and only sportspersons training for national or international events will be allowed access.
The new order also states that only fully vaccinated staff will be allowed to attend government as well as private offices.
The state government has further allowed district authorities to impose additional restrictions as deemed necessary “based on their assessment of the situation”. They can’t, though, dilute the curbs announced by the state government.
Punjab reported 419 fresh Covid-19 cases and one death on Monday. This took the state’s infection tally to 6,05,922, while the death toll reached 16,651, according to state government’s medical bulletin.
Of fresh cases, Patiala reported 143 infections, followed by 58 in Pathankot, 57 in Ludhiana and 30 in Mohali.
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