Punjab rules out a lockdown

Punjab CM Amarinder Singh directed the divisional commissioners of 6 worst-affected districts to tighten the strategy of micro containment zones and to ensure 100% testing.

Lockdown is not a solution, as it will lead to exodus of labourers and force them to go to states with even lesser medical facilities,” said Amarinder.

CM also urged to impose strict restrictions on dine-in facility and asked the health department to do testing of the staff in restaurants.

Amarinder Singh chaired a virtual meeting to review the situation of badly affected districts. That are Ludhiana, SAS Nagar, Jalandhar, Bathinda, Patiala and Amritsar. CM ordered to immediately strengthen the testing and containment strategy. As he expressed concern over the fact that 14 districts of the state had about 10% positivity rate. And 5 of them had bed occupancy of more than 60%.

The occupancy at level 2 is somewhere manageable but now it has reached the third level (82%). 600 beds are being added in Patiala and Amritsar and in total 2000 beds are being added in Punjab.

A 100-bedded hospital will come at Mohali and a 250-bedded is being set up near Bathinda. Bathinda DC said about setting up of a temporary hospital with 25 beds. The district is getting patients from other places as well such as Delhi and Gurgaon. Currently, there are 2 containment and 8 micro containment zones in the district. Their positivity rate stands at 16% as of April 30.