The Punjab government on Thursday decided to discontinue public transport in the state as a preventive step against novel coronavirus.
It has also decided to shut marriage palaces, hotels, restaurants, banquets and dining places, except home delivery services and takeaways in the entire state.
“Public transport buses, tempos and auto rickshaws will be suspended from the midnight of Friday,” Local Bodies minister Brahm Mohindra here.
These decisions were taken in a meeting of the seven-member Group of Ministers (GoM), formed by the Punjab government to review the situation triggered by the coronavirus outbreak on a daily basis.
Other Developments:
- The GoM also decided to restrict the public gathering to 20. Earlier, it was restricted to 50 people.
- The minister further said the public dealing in the government offices will also be restricted.
- He further said the exams of classes 10 and 12 of the Punjab School Education Board have been postponed till March 31.
- All commissioners, deputy commissioners, senior superintendent of police have been directed not to leave their stations, said the minister.
“The government is ready to deal with any eventuality,” he further said, adding that the number of isolation wards would also be increased in hospitals.
Punjab has reported two coronavirus cases.
A 70-year-old man who returned from Germany via Italy a fortnight ago and died in hospital after severe chest pain, has been found to be positive for novel coronavirus, senior officials said on Thursday.
The man died at a civil hospital in Banga in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur yesterday.
His village and an area of up to a 3 km radius around it has been sealed. A government doctor who treated him has been quarantined.
His relatives and friends are also being quarantined. The man’s house has been sealed since Wednesday.
The state’s capital, Chandigarh, also reported its first positive case on Wednesday evening.