Punjab imposes 9 pm-5 am night curfew till April 30, total ban on political gatherings
Punjab on Wednesday became the latest state to issue curbs as Covid-19 cases across the country hit a record high.
FollowAmid a massive rise of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases, the Punjab government on Wednesday imposed a statewide night curfew from 9pm to 5am till April 30, which was until now imposed in only 12 districts of the state.
The government has also banned political gatherings till the restricted period and said violators, including political leaders, will be booked under Disaster Management Act and Epidemics Act.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had earlier warned of stricter restrictions if the COVID-19 situation in the state, which is reeling under a massive surge of cases and deaths, does not improve over the next week.
Amid the surge in Covid-19 cases, several states have announced restrictions, including lockdown, weekend lockdown, night curfews to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus.Â
The coronavirus situation in Punjab is of grave concern because of its share in daily deaths. As many as 80 per cent of Covid-19 cases are of UK variant in the state.
Punjab is among the state of maximum concern because of the high number of COVID-19 cases being reported there and its share in the number of deaths daily.
"If we look at Punjab, three per cent of the total cases are being reported from Punjab now and it accounts for 4.5% of the total fatalities in the country," Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said on Tuesday.
The daily cases in Punjab has increased from 240 between February 10 and 16 to 2,793 between March 31 and April 6. The average daily deaths during the same periods have also increased from eight to 58.
