Chandigarh, June 12: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday approved weekend and holiday restriction guidelines as per which the inter-district movement will be barred except for e-pass holders, and only shops dealing with essential commodities and services will be allowed to operate on all days of the week.
During a COVID preparedness review meeting on Thursday, the CM had said his government’s focus was on saving the lives of Punjabis, even if it meant taking tough measures, particularly in the light of the grave projections of the pandemic peaking over the next two months.
The guidelines issued on Friday are in addition to those notified earlier by the state government for Lockdown 5.0/Unlock 1.0, and will remain in force on weekends and gazette holidays till further orders.
Under the new guidelines, shops dealing with essential commodities/services shall remain open on all days till 7 pm. However, other shops, whether standalone or in shopping malls, shall remain closed on Sundays, while on Saturdays they can open till 5 pm.
Also, restaurants – for take home/home delivery only – and liquor shops will continue to be open till 8 pm on all days.
The orders further stated that in addition to the Sunday closure, the District Magistrates might choose, in consultation with the respective market associations, to order closure of the non-essential shops on any other day of the week also, especially in the high-risk areas where the cases are high.
Inter-district movement shall be allowed against e-pass, which will be issued only for essential work, but no pass shall be required for such travel in case of medical emergency, read the order.
Further, e-pass will also be required for marriage functions, and will be issued only for 50 specific persons, it added.
Expressing grave concern over the spiralling COVID cases in the country, particularly Delhi, Amarinder Singh appealed to the people of Punjab to strictly adhere to the social distancing norms and mandatory wearing of masks.
The situation demanded stringent compliance with all the restrictions, he stressed, adding that though the situation in the state was relatively in control, his government was not ready to take any chances.
