Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Wednesday held a video conferencing with Deputy Commissioners, Superintendents of Police, Chief Medical Officers and District Food and Civil Supplies Controllers of all the districts from Shimla to take stock of the situation in wake of lockdown for 21 days in the country as well as in the State due to outbreak of Corona epidemic.

He urged the people of the State to remain in-door during the lockdown as government has taken this step keeping in view their safety as corona virus was a pandemic.   He said that action would be taken against violators under Clinical Establishment Act or Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 and sections of IPC.

The Chief Minister directed the officers to ensure availability of essential commodities in their respective districts. He said that necessary steps should be taken to check hoarding and profiteering of essential commodities and stringent actions must be taken against the defaulters.

He directed the Deputy Commissioners to ensure adequate social distancing between person to person during the relaxation of curfew period. He also asked them to involve functionaries of Panchayati Raj Institutions as they were the grass root functionaries in the villages as well as urban local bodies in maintaining social distancing.

 He said that the shopkeepers must provide sanitizers to the consumers visiting their shops during the hours of relaxation. He also asked them to give preference to senior citizens in providing goods during the relaxation period.

Thakur directed the Police and other law and order enforcement agencies to ensure social distancing while relaxation in curfew for purchasing the daily needs items like milk, bread and vegetables etc. He said that administration of bordering districts of the State should also ensure that borders were completely sealed and outsiders were not allowed to enter their territories.

The CM directed the Chief Medical Officers to ensure availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including N-95 masks in all the health institutions of their districts. 

He said that the Government has already decided to postpone the date of payment of various public utility bills like electricity, water etc. without any extra charges.  He also felt the need for proper coordination between various government departments as well as NGOs for effective implementation of Curfew.

He said that the State Government had already closed temples in the State but still several temples in rural areas were open. He directed the district administration to check any type of social gathering in the rural areas during the hours of relaxation in the curfew.

He also asked the district administration to make adequate arrangements for ensure availability of spray, fertilizers and insecticides etc. to the farmers. He said that shops selling such items must also be brought under the ambit of essential commodities. 

 Thakur said that as many as 2186 people had been kept under surveillance out of which 591 people have completed 28 days of surveillance period. He said that investigations of 99 persons had been done so far and today reports of 19 persons were received and all were found negative.

Chief Secretary Anil Kumar Khachi assured the Chief Minister that administration would act pro-active approach to minimize the impact of lockdown to the people by providing relaxation in curfew.

He said that steps would also be taken to maintain and supplement the supply line of essential commodities from other States.

Additional Chief Secretary Health R.D. Dhiman said that there was adequate stock of PPE kits in the State. He said that if required buildings of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Hostels and DIET Hostels could be used for category  ‘B’ patients.

Director General of Police S.R. Mardi said that the police department would ensure effective implementation of Curfew besides facilitating the people during the hours of relaxation in the Curfew.