Lockdown evokes mixed response, 90 arrested
Tribune Reporters
Chandigarh, March 24
The first day of the lockdown imposed to control the spread of Covid evoked a mixed response across the state on Tuesday.
2 more positive, cases rise to 16
Chandigarh: With two more persons testing positive for Covid, the number of confirmed cases in the state rose to 16 on Tuesday. According to Dr Suraj Bhan Kamboj, Director General of Health Services, the number of positive cases reported from Gurugram now stood at 10. Two persons had tested positive for Covid in Panipat and one case each had been reported from Panchkula, Faridabad, Palwal and Sonepat, officials said. Test reports of 65 samples were awaited, Dr Kamboj said. TNS
While 90 persons were arrested and 60 FIRs registered for violating prohibitory orders, scores of vehicles were either challaned or impounded. At least four persons were arrested for trying to open factories in violation of rules.
Reports said the police had a tough time in enforcing the lockdown across the state with a number of persons venturing out, a substantial number of them without any valid or justified reason.
While elaborate nakas were set up across the state to regulate movement of people and vehicular traffic, the police had a tough time convincing people to remain indoors and restrict their movement.
At several places, the police held flag marches to enforce lockdown orders. Heated exchanges between police personnel and the police were reported from several places, with the police resorting to coercive means like making violators do sit-ups to discourage them from violating prohibitory orders.
Police aiding evacuationof foreigners
Navdeep Singh Virk, ADGP (Law and Orders), said the police had assisted in the evacuation of a number of foreign nationals belonging to Brazil, Israel, Germany and Bhutan. He said they were helping patients reach hospitals, including AIIMS in New Delhi. He said DSP-level officers were manning 10 entry points in the state from 8 am to 10 pm.
Karnal: The police arrested two owners of industrial units making gunny bags to pack rice for allegedly assembling around 45 employees in the factory. A total of 75 vehicles were challaned and eight impounded by the police.
In several areas, volunteers of NGOs gave packed food and water to police personnel. Pharmaceutical entrepreneur Manoj Gupta distributed 4,600 hand sanitisers and protective kits to cops.
Gurugram: The alleged violation of lockdown orders prompted Commissioner of Police Mohammed Akil to warn the public that the police would recommend imposition of curfew. On the other hand, 33 FIRs were registered and over 300 vehicles, mostly auto-rickshaws, impounded for violating orders.
There was chaos as a result of heavy vehicular traffic on the inter-state borders in Gurugram. There were less vehicles on city roads.
Sonepat: Two managers of a private firm at Bahalpur village, Ashish Kumar and Brijesh, were arrested on the charge of assembling around 200 employees in violation of prohibitory orders.The police challaned 32 vehicles and impounded 12.
Narnaul: The lockdown did not have much of an impact in Narnaul, Mahendragarh and Rewari, with shops and commercial establishments remaining open andpeople moving in groupsto buy essential and other commodities.
Rohtak: A total of three FIRs were registered and 20 vehicles impounded in Rohtak.
Kurukshtra: A verbal spat between Pehowa DSP Dheeraj Kumar and SI Rajpal about implementation of lockdown orders went viral while the police registered five cases for violating Section 144 of the CrPC. Ashtha Modi played down the verbal spat, claiming that police personnel were under stress.
Faridabad: The lockdown was partial in Faridabad, with the police booking 17 persons and challaning several vehicles.
Kaithal: Sujan Singh, DC, and Shashank Kumar Sawan, SP, took a round to enforce the lockdown. A near-complete lockdown was observed with hardly any major violations.
Faridabad Doctor tests positive
A doctor (45), working at a private hospital, tested positive for Covid on Tuesday, taking the district’s tally to two. He might have been infected after coming in contact with a woman (53) who was admitted to the hospital on March 16. DC Yashpal Yadav said the kin of the doctor’s family had been quarantined. The blood samples of the staff members and doctors who had attended to the Covid-positive woman were collected. TNS
AMBALA 2 NEW SUSPECTED CASES
Two more suspected Covid patients were reported in Ambala district on Tuesday. Civil Surgeon Dr Kuldeep Singh said a woman (25) returned from Dubai and a man (27) from New Zealand. Both of them had mild Covid symptoms, following which their samples were sent to the PGIMER, Chandigarh, before admitting them to the isolation wards in the local hospitals, he added. Dr Singh said so far, none of the total 18 suspects in Ambala district tested positive. TNS
KAITHAL 5 ADMITTED TO ISOLATION WARD
Five persons were admitted to the isolation ward of the Kaithal Civil Hospital on Monday night. With this the number of persons admitted to this ward has reached six as one more is already under watch, whose blood samples had been sent to Sonepat medical college. Civil Hospital MS Dr Om Parkash refused said of 19 persons admitted to the hospital so far, 13 tested negative and had been discharged. OC
YAMUNANAGAR 5 SAMPLES SENT FOR TESTING
The Health Department on Tuesday sent samples of five more Covid suspected persons, including two children aged 1 and 4, at Sonepat medical college. “One person had travelled to Dubai and one has a contact history. The other three samples have been sent on clinical symptoms.” He said three of them were isolated at Mukand Lal Civil Hospital and two at Civil Hospital, Jagadhri. Meanwhile, a control room has been set up at room No. 101 of the Mini-Secretariat with helpline numbers 01732-237801 and 7027972089. TNS
Kurukshetra 6 on sanitisation duty get burns
Six employees of the Thanesar Municipal Council were taken to hospital on Tuesday after they complained of burning sensation after doing sanitisation using spray pumps they were carrying on their backs. The employees were provided spray pumps for sanitisation in Thanesar. It was suspected that the employees suffered burning sensation as the bleaching powder was mixed in wrong proportion.“They were using pumps for the first time and might have not used these properly, due to which the water spilled,” said MC executive officer BN Bharti. TNS
Panipat woman’s kin test negative
The brother, son and daughter of Panipat woman who tested positive for Covid at Rohtak-PGIMS on Monday tested negative. The DC has sought contact information of all officers and officials working in different government departments so they can be contacted in the event of any exigency or campaign pertaining to Covid. Rohtak MP Dr Arvind Sharma has given a grant of Rs50 lakh in the fight against Covid. TNS
