Punjab allows home quarantine international fliers with up to 96-hours-old negative certificate

Amid easing of restrictions, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh announced that those flying in from abroad with COVID negative certificates up to 96 hours old can now go for home quarantine. International travellers who getting themselves tested on arrival at the airport, as part of the Government of India’s new directives, can also go home for quarantine if found negative, he said, adding that Punjab was currently at the 17th position in the country in terms of COVID cases. The Chief Minister said after the decline in testing due to rumor-mongering and fake propaganda, the number of COVID tests had again touched around 28000 per day as the police had cracked down heavily on miscreants spreading misinformation in the state. Pointing out that 28,688 tests were conducted yesterday, he said the figures would be raised to 30000 soon. The focus of the state government is on saving lives, for which early testing is essential, he added. The anti-social elements are defaming Punjab, he said, adding that claims of organ harvesting of deceased COVID patients were totally incorrect and illogical, said the Chief Minister, warning of strict action against such miscreants. Also Read | Punjab government issues guidelines for Unlock 4; no curfew on Saturdays “We have to effectively counter such campaigns,” he told the third group of Congress MLAs as part of his series of Video Conferences with party legislators and ministers to discuss the COVID situation. He asked the ministers and MLAs to visit their districts and constituencies to take stock of the ground situation over the next three days. With the peak expected in the state in the next two weeks, it was important for the elected representatives and officials to work together to tackle the crisis, he said. -PTC News