Doctors, health dept staff no longer require curfew passes: Pb govt

The Punjab government on Tuesday said private doctors, staff of the health department and regular patients in the state will no longer require curfew passes to move around amid the ongoing lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Besides, banks and ATMs have been allowed to operate the whole week, subject to maintenance of COVID-19 protocols, as per the revised guidelines issued by the state home department in the wake of the curfew being extended till April 14.

According to the new instructions, the district magistrates have been formally asked to extend curfew beyond March 31, up to April 14.

Post offices and courier services have been allowed to operate while banks and cash dispensing machines can remain open the whole week as against two-days a week earlier, subject to maintenance of social distance norms, said an official release.

Employees of the health and medical education departments have been now permitted to work on the basis of their identity cards issued by their concerted departments.

Similarly, all the doctors of the private hospitals/nursing homes/diagnostic laboratories would be allowed to work without curfew passes on the basis of their photo ID Cards issued by the Punjab Medical/Dental Council or Indian Medical Association, it said.

Other employees of private nursing homes would be granted bulk curfew passes on the request of the administrator of the concerned hospital.

Patients would now be allowed to visit all hospitals, including private hospitals, nursing homes and diagnostic laboratories, on the basis of patient cards/prescription slips issued by the hospital and nursing homes.

New patients would be allowed movement against e-pass. However, patients in a serious condition will be permitted to go to hospitals without any pass or cards, the release said.

The guidelines further stipulate that the drug-dependant persons can visit de-addiction centres on the basis of the prescription slip/cards issued by the centre.

Any person entering the state will need to be home quarantined, if asymptomatic and hospital quarantined or to be kept in isolation ward if symptomatic, as per the guidelines of the health department, it said.