Punjab CM orders resumption of OPD services, elective surgeries; government schools to open from Monday

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday ordered the resumption of normal OPD services and elective surgeries with extensive COVID-19 precautions while warning against complacency given the projections of a possible second wave.

The CM also allowed the opening of government schools from Monday after disinfection procedures and clear SOPs.

He further mandated the consent of parents for the opening of schools, as well as a ceiling on the number of students and hours of operation.

An official release said directions were also given to concerned departments to take all steps to ensure that things remained under control in the festive seasons and there is a wide distribution of masks.

At a meeting to assess the COVID-19 situation in the state, Singh asked relevant departments to ensure that medical staff is kept motivated and vacancies of technicians are filled up so that normal OPD services could be carried out seamlessly.

DGP Dinkar Gupta told the meeting said the Punjab Police was gearing up to manage the festival season, during which security would be beefed up. The DGP said the police was also currently focused on handling the increasing number of farmer protests, "as well as picketing by BJP and RSS".

According to the DGP, the force has lost 39 personnel to the virus.

Dr KK Talwar, head of the state government's expert advisory committee on health, warned of a second wave hitting Punjab during the festival season.

( With inputs from ANI )