COVID-19: Chandigarh announces night curfew

Following the rising number of COVID-19 cases, Chandigarh administration on Tuesday announced night curfew in the city from 10 PM to 5 AM daily. While essential services would be allowed to function, gatherings and restaurants are prohibited. The decision was taken by Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore, who is also the district administrator, in a high-level meeting presided by him.

GD Puri of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) informed that of the 17000 samples tested by the hospital, 1900 were positive, fixing the positivity rate at 11.2 per cent. Meanwhile, the Director of Health Services, Amandeep Kang, has informed that of the 31,394 tests they conducted, the positivity rate was 12.7 per cent. This is higher than the positivity rate of 9.1 per cent recorded in March.

In case of failure to adhere to the Covid-19 protocols, the administrator favoured stricter measures, including weekend curfews, closure of apni mandis and other crowded spaces.