Chandigarh UT admin to decide on Apr 14 whether or not to extend curfew

The Chandigarh Union Territory Administration will take a call on whether to extend the curfew or not on April 14 after consulting the Centre, a senior official said on Thursday.

UT Adviser Manoj Parida also said the administration would also see if any relaxation can be given in case the curfew is extended beyond April 14.

"The decision on whether to extend the curfew or not will be taken on April 14, he told PTI.

He said the administration would also take into account the number of novel coronavirus cases, their location and the spread before making any decision.

"Being a Union Territory, we will consult the Centre before taking any decision. We will also watch what Punjab and Haryana governments decide," Parida said.

The administration would also consult medical experts before making any decision, he said.

The UT administration had clamped curfew on March 23 till further orders to check the spread of COVID-19. Punjab, which had also clamped curfew, is also yet to decide whether to extend the curfew or not beyond April 14.

Chandigarh has not witnessed any rise in coronavirus cases in the past few days and its total count stood at 18 with no death, the official said, adding that seven patients have been cured and discharged from hospital.

The administration attributed the halt in number of fresh cases to the effective implementation of curfew restrictions and social distancing. Parida said the detection of cases at an early stage also helped in containing the rise in COVID-19 patients.

With Mohali, located in Chandigarh's periphery, becoming a novel coronavirus hotspot, the city administration has also decided to screen people at borders with thermal scanners to check the spread of infection.

The administration will get 500 thermal scanners soon for screening, the UT adviser said.

Mohali district has topped the COVID-19 tally in Punjab with 37 cases.