OPDs resume, schools reopen from Monday
CHANDIGARH: Chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Thursday ordered resumption of normal OPD services and elective surgeries, with extensive precautions in place, but warned against any complacency given the projections of a possible second wave of Covid-19.
The chief minister (CM) also allowed reopening of government schools from Monday after due sanitisation and disinfection procedures, and with clear SOPs mandating parents’ consent as well as ceiling on the number of students and hours of operation. He conveyed these decisions during a virtual meeting to review the Covid situation.
However, the state government has decided not to open multiplexes, cinema halls and entertainment parks in the state.
The authorities had earlier permitted cinema halls and multiplexes to reopen from Thursday. The CM also asked the departments to ensure that the medical staff is kept motivated and all vacancies are filled up immediately.
{ AMARINDER SINGH } PUNJAB CM
We can’t afford to let our guard down, considering the fact that the paddy harvesting is on.
Warning of 2nd wave during festival season
Dr KK Talwar, head of Punjab government’s expert advisory committee on health, termed the decline in positivity rate to 2.60 a good sign, but warned of a second wave hitting the state during the festival season. “With just about 500-odd cases daily at present, the projections for the next few days are positive. However, the spate of upcoming festivals and the fatigue in the health system could see the next wave hitting soon,” he added.
Oxygen plants to come up at 13 hospitals
Health secretary Hussan Lal said to ensure adequate availability of oxygen supply in the coming weeks and months, tendering for 1st phase for augmenting the supply was in process. The Government of India had fixed the rates of medical oxygen, including that of transportation of cylinders, though liquid oxygen transportation rates were yet to be fixed, he added.
In the first phase, oxygen generation plants will be set up at district hospitals in Jalandhar, Ludhiana and at medical colleges at Patiala, Amritsar, and Faridkot, which will be followed by district hospitals in Mansa, Sangrur, Bathinda and MKH, Patiala in the second phase and district hospitals of Rupnagar, Ferozepur, Gurdaspur and Amritsar in the third phase.
Aggressively counter false Covid propaganda: CM to sarpanches
The CM has written to all sarpanches in the state, urging them to aggressively counter the false propaganda being spread about Covid by certain malicious people. He asked the sarpanches to work among the people to ensure that they are not misled by the misinformation and strengthen the government’s hands in fighting the pandemic.
He said various measures taken by his government had ed to improvement in the Covid situation. “We cannot afford to let our guard down, considering the fact that the paddy harvesting is on, and also the government procurement,” he said.