Punjab extends lockdown till June 30

CHANDIGARH : Chief minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday announced extension in the lockdown in Punjab till June 30, with more relaxations subject to the guidelines of the central government.

Though experts have advised against opening of the hospitality industry and malls, the chief minister said the state would take into account the central government guidelines for lockdown 5.0.

Amarinder announced his decision after a ground assessment of the Covid situation through a videoconference with health experts, along with top officialsand cabinet ministers B ha rat Bhushan Ashu, Balbir Singh Sidhu and Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa. The decision is also inline with the centralgovernment’ s decision to extend the national lockdown beyond May 31 for the fifth time.

Expressing concern over possible community spread, he said this is a threat the state faced now and he would keep this fact in mind while deciding about relaxations. Later, Amarinder, during his weekly Facebook Live session, said the threat of Covid was not over yet, and if necessary, he would continue to take tough measures to save the lives of people of Punjab. He made it clear that the extension of the lockdown in the state would be conditional to strict adherence to Covid safety protocols, including physical distancing and wearing of masks.

He directed food and civil supplies minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu to ensure immediate steps for the distribution of masks as part of ration kits to the needy and poor, who could not afford to purchase them. Director general of police Dinkar Gupta told the review meeting that wearing of masks was being strictly enforced across all districts, with more than Rs 1 crore collected so far in fine from the offenders.