Fighting COVID-19: Punjab Extends Curfew By 2 Weeks, Shops To Open 4 Hours Daily

Chandigarh: Curfew in Punjab was on Wednesday extended by two more weeks, beyond the national lockdown which ends on May 3, to check the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in the state.

Making the announcement via a video address, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh said that the curfew will be lifted for fours hours every day for shops to open and allow people to step out and buy essentials.

A guideline was issued for shops to open in a staggered manner across the state, from 7 am to 11 am. People were once again urged to strictly follow norms social-distancing norms, use sanitizers and masks.

“The State Home Department has issued detailed guidelines clarifying that the word ‘shopping complexes’ is replaced with ‘market complexes’ within the limits of municipal corporations and municipalities meaning thereby that activities in market complexes would continue to remain prohibited till May 3, 2020,” a statement said.

Punjab has so far reported 322 coronavirus cases, of which 71 have recovered and 19 died.