14-day quarantine for visitors
The Chandigarh Administration has ordered a mandatory self home quarantine of fourteen days for visitors from outside the tri-city area. However, this order will not apply to visitors spending less than 72 hours in the city. This will help business executives and government employees who come to the city for official work and leave after a short stay. The visitors will have to declare the duration of their stay on entering the city. The police have been directed to ensure that there is regular checking of people coming from outside the tri-city area to Chandigarh.
Only 50 per cent of road gullies cleared
The residents of Chandigarh may have to face the problem of water logging again. With the monsoon predicted to arrive on June 25, the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has been able to clear only 50 per cent of the road gullies due to the ongoing locdown. The city has 30,000 road gullies and only 15,000 have been cleaned so far. The process of clearing all the road gullies may take up to July 15. Most of the gullies on main roads have been cleaned and those on internal roads are left. Every year, around Rs 1.25 crore is spent on cleaning road gullies. According to authorities, northern sectors from sector 1 to 20 have road gullies of capacity upto 15 mm, sectors 20 to 40 have gullies upto 20-km capacity and southern sectors have it upto 25 mm. Last year too, the issue was raised in the general House because despite spending this amount, the roads remained clogged.
No containment zone in Chandigarh
There is no containment zone in Chandigarh now. The administration decided to open up several pockets in Bapu Dham Colony, such as Pocket No.15, 13, 20, and 07, on basis of reports from the area. While the administration has removed perimeter control from these areas, regular surveillance and sanitization of these areas will continue. According to the authorities, if there was a fresh outbreak in any of the areas that had recently been opened up, restrictions would be imposed again. The administration has advised residents to wear masks and strictly follow social distancing and hand hygiene norms. They should also inform the administration about any suspected case.
Covid-19 test price capped at Rs 2,000
The Chandigarh Administration has capped the price of the Covid-19 test at a private laboratory at Rs 2,000. SRL Diagnostics Laboratory is the only private lab authorised to conduct corona tests in the city. Earlier, the rate was fixed atRs 4,500. Given reports of frequent violations of social distancing and mask-wearing rules, the administration has decided to undertake a special drive to impose an on-the-spot fine on such violators. The administration has already fixed a fine Rs 500 for spitting in public places and violating social distancing norms by shops, Rs 2,000 for violating home quarantine instructions, Rs 500 for violation of social distancing norms of auto-rickshaws and two-wheelers, Rs 2,000 for cars and Rs 3,000 for buses.
Harpreet Bajwa
Our correspondent in Chandigarh
hsbajwa73@gmail.com