'Decision on curfew extension depends on situation'

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday said any decision on extending the statewide curfew beyond would depend on the prevailing situation relating to coronavirus, which he was personally monitoring on a day-to-day basis.

Chandigarh, April 3 Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday said any decision on extending the statewide curfew beyond would depend on the prevailing situation relating to coronavirus, which he was personally monitoring on a day-to-day basis.

Any decision on lifting or extending the curfew or lockdown in the state will be taken in the light of the situation that exists at the time, said Amarinder Singh.

It would depend entirely on how things are then, he said, adding that it was not possible to commit either way at this juncture, when the situation as dynamically evolving.

Two members of the Tablighi Jamaat, who were at the congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz in March, tested positive for the coronavirus disease in Punjab, taking the total number of such cases to 49 on Friday.

If things improve then there would be no need for such tight restrictions, said the Chief Minister. However, if the situation takes a turn for the worse, there would be no option with the government but to continue with controls, either through curfew or lockdown or any other necessary means, he added.

The Chief Minister, at the same time, assured the people of Punjab that his government would continue to take more and more steps to minimise the hardships suffered by them as a result of the curfew.

Already, a lot of essential services that were initially locked down had been restored, he pointed out, citing the examples of banking, postal and courier, harvesting, etc.

The necessity for doctors, health staff and regular patients to take curfew passes had also been done away with.

Going forward, a lot more steps would be taken to further ease the lives of the citizens, irrespective of whether or not the curfew continues, said Amarinder Singh.

Punjab was the first state in the country to impose curfew in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, thus enabling the state government to keep the spread of the coronavirus under check.

The Chief Minister, however, made it clear that the state government would not allow itself to become complacent and said he had already directed the Health Department to prepare, on war footing, for any eventuality, including community spread of the pandemic.

( With inputs from IANS )