NO FURTHER LOCKDOWN IN PUNJAB: CM

CHANDIGARH:PUNJAB chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday ruled out further lockdown in the state in view of the current Covid-19 situation and appealed to the people to adhere to the safety protocols strictly.

Interacting with mediapersons, the CM said the daily Covid testing capacity, which is 10,000 now, will be enhanced to 20,000 by July end.

Amarinder said the state has adequate essential equipment and other resources to manage any further spread of the pandemic. The CM said he was upset with reports of people violating safety norms and cautioned the public to abide by the guidelines. He advised the people not to be callous and don’t misconstrue the symptoms of coronavirus as those of common flu.

Referring to another question, the CM said 4,248 beds were available in government hospitals for Covid patients and 2,014 more are being added. Private hospitals have allocated 950 beds for Covid patients. “The total number of isolation centres identified to accommodate patients in case the crisis aggravates stands at 52 government and 195 private,” he added.

He said 554 ventilators were available, the health department has 5.18 lakh N95 masks, 75.47 lakh triplelayer masks, 2.52 lakh PPE kits and 2,223 oxygen cylinders in stock.

He said majority of industrial units in the state have resumed operations and migrant workers returning. “Our state suffered a colossal loss ₹33,000 crore due to the corona crisis. The Centre didn’t give a single penny out of ₹20 lakh crore package to us except ₹2,200 crore as state’s share in GST, a legitimate right,” the CM said.

He said the situation in Punjab was under control as compared to some other states and people’s proactive participation played a big role in tackling the crisis.