Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday warned people against laxity in adherence to the curbs imposed in the state and said if the situation did not improve he would be forced to consider a total lockdown. However, he made it clear that he was not in favour of a complete and harsh lockdown.
Amarinder Singh said he had so far refrained from ordering a sweeping lockdown in the state because it will hurt the poor the most and would lead to the exodus of migrant labourers, plunging industries into chaos again.
“However, if the people do not stringently comply with the restrictions in place, harsher steps might have to be taken,” Amarinder Singh said.
Chairing a high-level virtual meeting to review the Covid situation, the Chief Minister also ordered a stop on all takeaway deliveries from restaurants, which was being used by youngsters as a pretext to move out of their homes. Only home deliveries of food should be allowed, he directed the officials. He, however, permitted shops selling fertilisers to be open.
Asserting that he will not allow Punjab to go the way of some other states, where patients could be seen lying on the roads, the Chief Minister said Industry should be encouraged to use their CSR funds for vaccination and treatment of their labour suffering from mild or moderate illness, so that they can stay at home, thus reducing pressure on hospitals.
Underlining the need to step up preparedness amid projections of a peak in the coming days, the Chief Minister ordered a 20% increase in bed capacity in the next 10 days. He directed the Health and Medical Education departments to get stadiums, gymnasiums, and other such places ready to house patients. Tented camps should be set up, and gyms/halls should be converted into L2 and L3 facilities, he said, adding that “we have to be prepared for the worst.” He also directed the use of staff from rural development and other departments to augment the workforce for tracing Covid contacts in rural areas.