Coronavirus: Punjab to enforce lockdown till March 31, state wears deserted look during ‘Janta Curfew’

CHANDIGARH: Punjab Government orders shutdown of all non-essential services and businesses with immediate effect till March 31 to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh tweeted, “Ordered statewide lock down till March 31 to check spread of #Covid19. All essential government services will continue & shops selling essential items such as milk, food items, medicines, etc will be open. All DCs & SSPs have been directed to implement the restrictions immediately.”

High placed sources said all the Deputy Commissioners and SSPs have been directed to issue relevant orders and implement the restrictions immediately.

Only police, health, power, emergency transport services will be allowed besides supply of essential items such as milk, food items and medicines.

Today, all roads and public places in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh were deserted due to the 14-hour long Janta Curfew proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to counter the spread of coronavirus – as part of a social distancing exercise to help break the chain of transmission.

As one could hardly see any vehicles on roads even in popular areas like Sukhna Lake, even the Sector 17 plaza remained empty in Chandigarh. Markets were closed except for chemist shops.

Yesterday late evening six districts of Punjab had ordered lockdowns for the next few days – Jalandhar, Patiala, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Bathinda and Nawanshahr – as coronavirus cases in the state touched 14.