On Thursday, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh announced the extension of the restrictions in the state till June 10. However, he ordered the limit on the number of passengers in personal vehicles to be removed, given the decline in the positivity and number of active Covid cases.
The Chief Minister has also directed the resumption of elective surgeries in both government and private hospitals, as well restoration of OPD operations at all GMCHs in the state, given the improvement in the overall Covid situation. It may be recalled that elective surgeries had been stopped from April 12 to ensure adequate availability of beds and oxygen for serious Covid cases, but the Chief Minister has now allowed these to be resumed, subject to the condition that there shall, for the present, be no reduction in beds for L3 patients in the hospital.
Medical Education Minister OP Soni said three GMCs had already started 50% OPD operations, which will soon be scaled up to 100%.
On the issue of restrictions, the Chief Minister said it had been decided to continue with the curbs on the advice of experts. He clarified that while the limit on personal cars and two-wheelers was being removed as these are used mainly by family members and close friends, those on commercial passenger vehicles and taxis shall continue to be in place at present. The DCs will also continue to be empowered to make any adjustments in the opening of non-essential shops as are merited by local conditions, he said.
Asserting that the state could not afford to be lax despite some easing of the situation, the Chief Minister directed the Health and Medical Education departments to continue strengthening the Covid care infrastructure and facilities to deal with a possible third wave of the pandemic. He asked them to invest also in augmenting pediatric care and to seek 500 pediatric ventilators from the Government of India. The meeting was informed all the 809 ventilators received earlier under the PMCares Fund had been distributed and 136 of them were not working.