21 youths stranded in Gurugram arrive home

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, March 29

As many as 21 youths of Faridkot district, including two girls, who were working in Gurugram walked home on Sunday. They had got stranded after the Union Government imposed nation-wide lockdown. They had become workless after the order.

MLA Kushaldeep Dhillon said after some of the youths contacted him over phone and told him that they were without food and work, he arranged curfew passes and sent his personal vehicles to ferry the youths.

On reaching here, all of them were asked to undergo a medical examination at the Civil Hospital. As none of them showed any symptom of Covid-19, they were allowed to leave for their homes but have been advises to live in complete isolation at their homes, said Chander Shekhar Kakkar, the Senior Medical Officer of the Civil Hospital.

Clinical labs to function

The Deputy Commissioner has ordered that all pathology laboratories will open from 6 am to 9 am. The lab owners will collect samples from homes of the patients after receiving a phone call. They shall send the reports to the patients via WhatsApp. Residents aren’t allowed to visit laboratories to give samples.

Sale of pesticides allowed

The Faridkot district administration on Sunday allowed farmers to work in their fields during the curfew. They have been allowed to leave for their farms from 7 am to 9 am and return home from 7 pm to 9 pm. During the period between the relaxed hours (from 9 am to 7 pm), farmers have to stay at their farms, said the Deputy Commissioner. Farmers have also been allowed to to take their farm equipment such as tractor-trolley and combine harvesters to their farms.

In view of the increased moisture content and the cloudy weather that increased the chances of pests and fungs on the wheat and cotton crops, the administration has also given a three-hour relaxation in curfew for the sale of pesticides and insecticides.