Amid rising cases of coronavirus (COVID-19), the Punjab government has put a complete bar on all public gatherings, while restricting social gatherings to five persons and marriages and other social functions to 30 guests instead of the current 50.
An official statement said the decision has been taken as part of the revised guidelines issued by the government on Monday.
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Mandatory FIRs shall be filed against those found violating the curbs on public gatherings, which now stand strictly disallowed, said the statement, adding that joint teams of police and civil administration shall strictly enforce the restrictions on social gatherings (restricted to 5 under Section 144 imposed in all districts) as well as weddings and social functions.
“The management of marriage palaces, hotels shall be held responsible and shall face suspension of licence in case of violation of norms. Further, the management of marriage palaces, hotels and other commercial spaces will have to certify that adequate arrangements for ventilation of indoor spaces have been made,” it added.
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The State government has also partnered with IIT Chennai experts to intensify surveillance, using technology to identify super-spreader gatherings in the past to guide future action. Wearing of masks has been made compulsory in work places, offices, closed places, as per the new guidelines.
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Public dealing in offices may be curtailed to cater to need-based and urgent issues, according to the guidelines, which provide that the online public grievance redressal system recently approved by the Cabinet should be extensively popularized and used, added the statement.
