With people defying lockdown orders in the city, the Chandigarh Administration on Monday imposed curfew from midnight till further orders to combat the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus).
The development comes after neighboring Punjab Government also imposed a curfew to ensure social distancing and fight the deadly disease.
Chandigarh reported one more positive case of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) on Monday taking the total number of cases to seven till the filing of this report. More than 400 people are under home quarantine in the city.
The Administration had on Sunday announced a lockdown restricting movement of denizens. However, the order failed to stop the residents from thronging the markers and parks.
Punjab Governor and UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore on Monday held a meeting with senior UT officers to review the situation and decided to impose curfew in Chandigarh starting from Monday midnight till further orders.
“With the imposition of curfew all the residents will be required to stay indoors. The DGP has been given strict directions to enforce the curfew without any relaxation whatsoever,” said UT Adviser Manoj Parida.
The Adviser said that the individuals engaged in essential services including Police, Medical, Municipal etc will be given curfew passes. Employees of Punjab, Haryana and Central Government will request for passes through their Chief Secretaries only.
The Deputy Commissioner will take the decision on issuing curfew passes. Moreover, the relaxation in curfew hours will be given for purchase of essential items in due course, he said.
Parida further said that the Administration has tied up with neighboring states of Punjab and Haryana for continuous supply of essential commodities including Oxygen cylinders, LPG, petroleum products etc.
It has also been decided to requisition Sood Dharamshala where 125 isolated rooms with toilets are available to function as isolated ward, if necessary. A separate block of PGIMER (Nehru Block) has been designated as COVID place for exclusively housing and treating Corona affected patients, he said.
The newspaper distributors and hawkers have also been advised to follow hygiene standards and use protective gears for distribution of newspapers, he added.
INSTRUCTIONS UNDER CURFEW
District Magistrate Mandip Singh Brar issued order under section 144 of the CrPC to impose curfew in the city which stated, “No person shall leave their homes or shall move on foot, or by vehicle or travel or stand or roam around on any road or public place, except for emergency medical aid. Any assembly of five or more persons shall not be allowed anywhere in the city.”
The order does not apply to those tasked with law and order or emergency and municipal services/duties including executive magistrates, police personnel, military, CAPF personnel in uniform, health, electricity, fire, media and government machinery tasked with COVID-19 related duties, any other category exempted by order of DM and those especially issued permit by the DM, ADM or SDM or other officer authorized in this behalf.
The compliance of these orders shall be ensured by the executive magistrates (including those especially appointed) and police officers/officials. Violation of the curfew orders will be dealt with strictly under relevant provisions of IPC, the order.
BORDERS SEALED
Keeping in view the lockdown and curfew, all 38 outer border nakas (manned/unmanned) have been made operational on round the clock basis, wherein vehicles working for essential service, vehicles carrying patients, ambulance, government vehicles of Haryana, Punjab are allowed to come.
A spokesman said, “On receiving any call of Coronavirus case in the city, beat staff of concerned area as well as one PCR vehicle are visiting with health team to assist them in quarantine or testing of suspect case. Further, special duty has also been deployed to curtail access to the area where Coronavirus suspect or positive cases have come to
notice.
Announcements are being made in all area through concerned SHOs and PCR to remain inside the house during the curfew period he said.
In addition to routine duty of all Police Stations, PCR and Traffic, all SDPOs, all SHOs and approximately NGO/ORs-500 have been deployed at different places, outer barriers and as reserve force in the city, he added.
SEVEN CASES IN CHD SO FAR
A 21-year male, resident of Sector 38 here was tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday becoming the seventh person affected due to the virus in the city. He is a contact of a positive case and is under treatment at GMCH-32 here. He has five family members which include parents, grandparents and brother. His brother is tested negative while rest of the family members are asymptomatic at the moment and after screening has been referred to GMCH-32 for testing.
In regard to the positive case, the Health Department has traced driver along with his other three family members and maid also in Sector 25. All of them are asymptomatic and have been home quarantined, said a senior UT officer.
The 25 years old boy, resident of Sector 19, who is son of a senior UT officer was tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday and is in isolation ward at GMCH-32 for treatment. All his family members including father (senior UT officer), mother and sister are tested negative and his residence has been sanitized, he said.
The patient had come in contact with the first positive case of COVID-19 in the city. Three more contacts of the patient have been traced. These are 30 years old sweeper in Sector 26, 40 years old gardener in Kishangarh and 52 years old maid residing in Maulijagran. All of them are asymptomatic and put under home quarantine.
The condition of all the seven positive patients is stable, the officer added.
