Covid cases in Punjab have been rapidly rising.
Schools and colleges will remain shut and a night curfew will be imposed to restrict public movement, the Punjab government ordered today following a sharp rise in Covid cases in the state over the past few days.
The fresh curbs were announced after Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi chaired a review meeting to take stock of the Covid situation in the state.
According to the new order issued today, all educational institutions, including schools, colleges and universities, shall remain shut for offline classes and virtual classes will continue. Medical and nursing colleges, however, have been permitted to function normally.
A night curfew will be in force from 10 pm to 5 am daily. Bars, cinemas halls, multiplexes, malls, restaurants, spas, museums and zoos may operate at 50% capacity provided all staff members are fully vaccinated, the new order states.
The new set of restrictions will be in force till January 15.
Sports complexes, stadia, swimming pools and gyms have been shut and only sportspersons training for national or international events will be allowed access.
The new order also states that only fully vaccinated staff will be allowed to attend government as well as private offices.
The fresh curbs have been imposed in the middle of a high-pitch Assembly poll campaign marked by crowded rallies and political meetings.
However, no restrictions have been announced regarding political meetings or rallies.
Covid cases in Punjab have been rapidly rising. The state, which clocked 51 cases on December 28, reported 419 cases yesterday. Notably, the number of samples tested dropped during this time, leading to a spike in positivity. The positivity rate, an indicator of the spread of infection in the community, rose from 0.46 per cent on December 28 to 4.47 per cent yesterday.