Corona outbreak: Curfew imposed in Chandigarh

The Union Territory of Chandigarh was placed under curfew on Monday, hours after the Punjab government imposed it in the entire state in a bid to curb the coronavirus spread.

Punjab Governor and Union Territory Chandigarh Administrator V P Singh Badnore decided to impose curfew in the city with effect from Monday midnight till further orders, said an official statement here.

The Punjab government clamped the curfew earlier during the day to fight coronavirus spread, making it the first state to take the drastic measure after finding that many people were ignoring the state-wide lockdown.

With the imposition of the curfew, all residents will be required to stay indoors, the Chandigarh's UT administration said in a release.

The police was given strict instructions to enforce the curfew without any relaxation whatsoever, it said.

Manoj Parida, the adviser to the UT administrator, said those engaged in providing essential services only, including police, doctors and medical staffers, will be allowed curfew passes.

Employees of Punjab, Haryana and the central government will request for passes through their chief Secretaries only. The Chandigarh deputy commissioner will decide on the requests for curfew passes, the release added.

The release added that the relaxation in curfew hours will be given for purchase of essential items in due course.

The detailed orders will be issued by the Chandigarh's deputy commissioner, it sauid.

The UT of Chandigarh has reported seven coronavirus patients so far.

Parida said the Chandigarh administration has tied up with states of Punjab and Haryana for continuous supply of essential commodities including oxygen and LPG cylinders and petroleum products.

A separate block of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Nehru Block, has been designated as Covid-19 isolation ward for exclusively housing and treating corona-hit patients, the release said.

It was also decided to requisition Sood Dharamshala where 125 isolated rooms with toilets are available to be used as isolated ward, if necessary, the ase said.

Newspaper distributors and hawkers have been advised to follow hygiene standards and use protective gear for distribution of newspapers.

he Administration has also taken up with the government of India for advance payment of ration money for two months under the public distribution system in Chandigarh.

The Chandigarh administration has also decided to pay Rs 3,000 to each registered construction worker for the loss of their income due to coronavirus, the release said.

A control room has been set up for answering queries or calls made by people in Chandigarh.

A total of 100 calls were received at the control room till 5 pm and most of the queries were about opening of shops and offices, gathering of crowd, besides the information about people who have returned from abroad.

The senior officers of the UT administration will be available round the clock and will coordinate with the concerned department to resolve any grievances of people of Chandigarh.