Tougher curbs on unauthorised entry into Covid wing at GMCH

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 21

The toll in the district increased to 847 on Wednesday after 10 persons died due to Covid-19 in the last 24-hours. The health authorities have also reported 290 new cases, with which the count of positive cases increased to 28,097.

The deceased have been identified as Baldev Singh (65), a resident Bandala village; Gurpinder Kaur (45) of Ekta Nagar; Lalit (50) of 88-Ft road; Rajpal Singh (50) of Baba Bakala; Veena Rani (55) of Chabhal Road; Hardeep Kaur (53) of Mooleh Chak village; Vasudev Behal (81) of Bank Colony; Gurmeet Kaur (67) of Jalal village; Tripta (72) of Albert Road; and Harbhajan Kaur (61) of Jawala Nagar.

What new rules say

• According to new set of instructions, only one attendant will be allowed at the new Covid wing set up for patients
• The attendants will be allowed inside the waiting room of the wing on the first floor of the building only
• The administration has made Covid-19 testing for the attendant mandatory considering him or her to be patient’s primary contact
• In case the attendant tests positive, he or she, too, will be admitted to the isolation ward

The new cases include 192 influenza-like illness cases and 98 contacts of positive patients. Meanwhile, with the recovery of 300 patients, the recovery count improved to 22,954. The district, at present, has a total of 4,226 active cases.

As the spread of the coronavirus is increasing, the district administration has issued a new set of instructions for Covid-19 patients and their attendants. The administration has warned of strict action against violators for not following these instructions.

The instructions state that only one attendant would be allowed at the new Covid wing set up for patients. The attendants would be allowed inside the waiting room of the wing on the first floor of the building only.

The administration has made Covid-19 testing for the attendant mandatory considering him or her to be patient’s primary contact. In case the attendant tests positive, he or she, too, would be admitted to the isolation ward.

The district administration orders state that any violation including unauthorised entry into the waiting hall for attendants would attract strict action. To make attendants and other visitors follow the required guidelines, the administration has deployed police and hospital security, which would keep a check on visitors.

Four booked for violating norms

Amritsar: The city police booked four persons, including the owner of a computer centre at the court complex, for violating Covid-19 guidelines here today. Heera Singh from the Police Post Court Complex stated that Sunil Kumar, owner of a computer typing shop at the District Court Complex used to open his shop and people could be found flouting social distancing norm inside and outside the shop. A case under Section 188 of the IPC has been registered against Sunil for violating orders of the District Magistrate. Meanwhile, Maqboolpura police booked Gurnam Singh of Mehta Road and Prem Ram of Almoraha for opening New Lahore Dhaba on Mehta Road till late evening. ASI Bikram Singh stated that the accused were putting lives of people in danger by violating government orders. A case under Sections 188, 269 and 270 of the IPC has been registered. Similarly, cops of Ranjit Avenue police station booked Inderjit of Beauty Avenue for opening his restaurant IBM at Housing Board Colony, Ranjit Avenue, during the night curfew. TNS

Helpline numbers for Covid patients

City Control Room Numbers: 0183-2500398, 2500498, 2500598

Health Department helpline: 0183-2535322, 0183-2535323

Medical helpline: 104

Contact a doctor:1800 180 4104

Bed availability and status: Punjab Covid App (updated daily at 5 pm)