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Amarinder says Punjab seeing community transmission of Covid-19, first CM to declare so

Addressing the media, Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh says there are few cases of primary infection in the state now, and most new ones are secondary infections.

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Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh said Friday that many of the fresh Covid-19 positive cases in the state are instances of community transmission — the dreaded third stage of the spread of the disease where the source of the infection cannot be traced.

He also chaired a meeting of the Punjab cabinet Friday, where it was decided that curfew in the state will continue until 1 May.

Amarinder is the first chief minister in India to say that coronavirus cases are going beyond people with a travel history abroad, or who were primary and secondary contacts of persons with such travel history.

Addressing a digital press conference organised by the Congress Friday afternoon, Amarinder said there were very few cases of primary infection in Punjab now, and that the majority of the new cases in the past few days were secondary infections.

Asked specifically if Punjab had entered the community transmission stage, he said: “That is what I have said. Initially, the cases we had were of those people who had brought the disease with them on their arrival into Punjab. About 1.4 lakh people entered Punjab during this period, out of which majority have already completed their quarantine period by now. Of the 27 cases which were reported yesterday (Thursday), many are cases of community transmission.”


Also read: No community transmission in India and no need to panic: Health ministry says again


Cabinet decisions

On a proposal moved by the CM, the council of ministers, which met later in the day, decided to set up a multi-disciplinary task force to formulate an exit strategy for gradual relaxation of the curfew/lockdown. The task force will submit its report within 10 days.

The cabinet also approved the establishment of a high-powered committee to suggest a road map for the state’s economic revival once the Covid-19 crisis is over. Amarinder said he will request former Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia to head the committee.


Also read: Punjab’s high Covid-19 death rate triggers political mudslinging, Badal alleges negligence


 

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