Punjab Dy CM bats for restriction on political rallies; says CM Channi will make the call

Amid the rising concern over a possible third wave of COVID-19 in the country, the Punjab government is now set to make a decision on imposing restrictions on political rallies in the state. Punjab Health Minister and Deputy Chief Minister OP Soni on Tuesday said that he 'personally feels they should not be held'. The minister cited the examples of shutting schools and said that people should be wary of crowds in public.

As Punjab witnesses several crowded rallies ahead of the upcoming assembly polls, OP Soni said that the Centre's rules do not forbid such events. He added that the rallies could be stopped and the state would soon take a decision on the same. "I think that if we can close schools and colleges then rallies should also not happen. As per the central govt’s guidelines, there are no restrictions on rallies," Soni said.

Furthermore, he added Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi is set to hold a meeting to decide on the rallies.

"Soon CM will call a Corona review meeting and will make a decision on it," Soni said. The Health Minister also raised concerns over the rising COVID cases in the state. He reiterated that an emergency meeting regarding the same was necessary.

COVID curbs in Punjab

The Punjab government on Tuesday decided to place a night curfew, shut down educational institutions and cut down the occupancy of cinema halls by 50% in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus. According to the new guidelines, movement of individuals for all non-essential activities have been prohibited between 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Meanwhile, all educational institutions, including schools, colleges, universities, and coaching institutions, shall remain closed on January 15.

All public places, bars, cinema halls, multiplexes, malls, restaurants, spas, museums, and zoos are allowed to operate at 50% of their maximum capacity. The government has also asked the management of such places to ensure full vaccination of its employees.

The government also informed that only fully vaccinated staff will now be allowed to attend government and private offices. The fresh guidelines come after Punjab began witnessing a rise in the number of infections for the last few days. The state reported 1,027 fresh COVID-19 cases on Tuesday.

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