Following Odisha, now Punjab extends the lockdown till May 1

Following the footsteps of Odisha, now Captain Amarinder Singh-led Punjab government has decided to extend the lockdown in the state till May 1 due to the alarming spike in the number of coronavirus cases. Punjab has seen a surge in the number of coronavirus cases in the past few days, taking the total count to 132 so far including 11 deaths.

 

 

In a tweet, KBS Sidhu, Special Cheif Secretary, Punjab, said, "The Punjab cabinet unanimously approves extension of Punjab curfew/lockdown till April 30/May 1, 2020."

 

This comes hours after Punjab CM Amarinder Singh said that the ongoing lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus should continue while noting that predictions by health experts about the spread of the pandemic are "horrendous and frightening".

 

Citing the grim projections about the spread of the pandemic in the coming weeks, the CM said the curfew restrictions were essential so that the medical infrastructure is not burdened beyond its capabilities. There was a consensus in the medical community that the lockdown curbs would only delay the spread of the disease, he said, hoping that some medication/cure would be found soon.

 

He said that experts have projected that the pandemic will peak in India by mid-September, when 58% of the population will be infected, citing a report by a team of senior medical officials in the state.

 

However, Captain Amarinder will convey the decision to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Saturday’s conference with the chief ministers, according to an official spokesperson.

 

Earlier, Odisha became the first Indian state government to officially extend the lockdown period to April 30.