Experts query Punjab’s one-hour silence for Covid victims

The Punjab authorities’s transfer to watch one-hour silence on all Saturdays the place no automobile shall ply within the reminiscence and as a mark of respect to these “who had to lay down their lives due to Covid” has drawn flak with questions being raised over the dealing with of the pandemic within the state.
Commencing subsequent Saturday, March 27, the one-hour silence can be noticed from 11 am to midday and all the executive and police chiefs throughout the state have been requested by the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) to make sure strict and meticulous compliance.
Health activist and former registrar of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, Faridkot, Dr Pyare Lal Garg termed the federal government’s transfer “show-off”.
Hitting out on the Punjab authorities, Dr Garg stated, “The government has not been able to provide the needed human care, medical care, as well as psychological care to Covid patients and has been unsuccessful administratively too. This (one-hour silence exercise) is all show-off.”
He added that if the federal government actually wished to pay respect, it ought to have “given assistance and rehabilitated the families of the victims”.
At practically 3 per cent, Punjab continues to have the very best Covid circumstances fatality charge.
Also lashing out on the Centre whereas saying that Punjab adopted the Centre’s tips, Dr Garg stated the Centre authorities’s strikes like “banging utensils” was completely baseless train. “Did it help check Covid? All such things are unscientific. They have not used scientific methodology to check the spread of the disease,” Dr Garg stated.
Punjab Civil Medical Services (PCMS) Association president Dr Gagandeep Singh stated, “Mark of respect is fine, but government should allocate more budget to improve health structure in the state. The government should focus on improving infrastructure and recruiting more staff.”

A authorities functionary, wishing to not be named, stated “one-hour window was too little for ensuring that vehicles do not ply on the road”. The functionary added, “To break the chain, the restriction on vehicular movement should have been at least five to six hours.”
Punjab Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan, when contacted, stated the train on Saturdays was “to honour the memory of the dead and also to ensure more lives are not lost”.
On implementation, Vini stated, “Everything need not be implemented hundred per cent, but the Deputy Commissioners have been asked to get in touch with elected representatives to spread maximum awareness about the exercise. This is a very serious situation we are in. Lives have been lost. To save lives, we need to sensitise people. There will be some siren at the start and end of the one-hour silence.”
Asserting that “health infrastructure in Punjab is better than many other states”, Vini blamed the excessive case fatality charge on sufferers reporting late to well being amenities for therapy.

“If people shy away from government hospital, if they don’t take it seriously, no one can save their lives,” Vini stated, asserting that well being amenities within the states had been well-equipped to deal with sufferers in the event that they report there early.
“Health infrastructure in Punjab is better than many other states. But people must take their own disease seriously. We cannot force people, but encouraging them to the best of our ability. They should not shy away from testing if they come in contact with a Covid positive person or if they show any symptoms. If treated early, Covid is not fatal.”
Punjab Additional Director General of Police (Traffic) Sharad Satya Chauhan stated, “I am going to write to officers in the field to spread maximum awareness among people so that they follow the guidelines.”