Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Saturday offered help to Delhi in managing its spiralling Covid cases and also lauded the ‘unsung heroes’ of Punjab for their excellent work in handling the pandemic in the state.
Lauding the healthcare and frontline workers of Punjab for their “excellent” work in handling the pandemic in the state, he assured full preparedness by his government to augment healthcare facilities to prepare for a possible second wave of the pandemic. He said while nobody knew when the second wave of infection would strike Punjab, the experience of the NCR and other States and regions showed it was almost certain. The CM expressed confidence that the health department will once again rise to the occasion to meet any challenge.
It was the duty of the state government to support the healthcare and other frontline workers, many of whom have got infected and some have even lost their lives to COVID-19, he said, exhorting the people to actively help the state in the fight against the pandemic by strictly following all safety norms.
“Mask hi vaccine hai” (mask is the vaccine), as a resolve for the next few months till a vaccine against infection finally is available, he said. The Chief Minister also launched 107 health and wellness centres to boost the healthcare infrastructure in the state and to provide health services to patients at their doorsteps in both rural and urban areas.
He said these new centers would take the state’s health infrastructure to a new level of efficacy amid the pandemic. Of the 3,049 centres planned in the state, 2,046 were now operational and 800 more would become operational in the next two months, with the remaining to be opened in 2021, Capt Amarinder said.
He said the State Government was focused on strengthening healthcare facilities, especially levels two and three, with the aim to save lives through early testing and treatment. Urging people to avoid crowded places and not have large gatherings and social functions indoors, he stressed the need to observe all precautions, especially washing hands and wearing face masks.
