87% of people likely to get affected in Punjab by July-August: Captain Amarinder Singh

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday indicated that his government was seriously thinking of extending the lockdown as the time did not appear to be right for lifting the restrictions. However, he made it clear that since the lockdown could not be indefinite, the government was also looking for ways to extricate the state from the restrictions. A high-powered committee with several doctors, medical and other experts have been examining the situation and will soon submit its report on the lockdown exit strategy, the Chief Minister said. Given the projections for India and the global trend of COVID-19, this is just the start of the war and the situation threatens to get worse over the next few months for India, Captain Amarinder warned. Adding, he said that lifting the lockdown would not be easy for any state in the present situation. He said that most of the 27 positive cases reported on Thursday (the maximum daily increase for the state) were cases of secondary transmission. Meanwhile, he said that it as an indication of the state moving into the stage of community transmission. The situation could seriously worsen in the coming weeks, he added. “The predictions are horrendous, but we are doing our best,” he said. Adding, he said that while currently, the numbers were low in Punjab compared with most other states, it cannot remain isolated as the pandemic spreads further. Also Read | Punjab government extends curfew/lockdown in the state till April30/May 1 At a video conference with the media, hosted by the AICC from New Delhi, the Chief Minister said that the projections by scientists and medical experts suggested that the pandemic would peak in India by July-August, and around 58% of Indians would get infected, with 87% of people likely to get affected in Punjab. In the circumstances, no government could afford to ease the restrictions, he said. The state’s preparations would be aligned to these projections, he added. -PTC News