Decision on lockdown extension depends on situation, says Punjab CM

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday said that the decision on further extension of lockdown in the state beyond June 30 would depend on the situation but he was prepared to take whatever steps needed to control the coronavirus spread. “It is in your hands,” he told a Ludhiana resident during the Facebook Live session. Adding, he said that “if we are able to control the pandemic then there would be no need for lockdown but if it goes out of control then we have no choice.” “Lockdowns were imposed for the safety of Punjab’s people,” he added. With the Coronavirus cases spreading across the country, the Chief Minister said the norm of wearing mask in public had to be strictly adhered to. He also appealed to the people of Punjab not to violate this and other safety protocols. He also said that there should be no need for challans on this count to happen as everyone should act responsibly. Meanwhile, he pointed out that on Friday alone, 4024 people were challaned for not wearing masks and 45 for spitting in public. Not wearing masks or following social distance norms or spitting were anti-social actions, he said. Likewise, he urged people to be cautious and follow all the protocols and the advice of medical experts to check the cases from escalating further. Also Read | Captain Amarinder Singh lifts passenger 50 percent capacity restriction on Punjab buses, wearing masks mandatory Noting with concern that experts had projected Punjab’s peak to be still some time away, Captain Amarinder said that the state could not afford to be lax in any way. On its part, the state government was continuously increasing testing, he said, Adding, he said that testing in Punjab would go up to 20,000 a day by the end of this month. -PTC News