Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 21

District administrations of Jalandhar, Patiala, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Bathinda, and Nawanshahr have ordered lockdowns over the next few days on Saturday, as coronavirus cases in Punjab spikes to 13.

Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma and Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar announced that the lockdown would begin at 7 am on Sunday to midnight of Wednesday.

Read updated story here: Punjab orders state-wide shutdown till March 31 to check spread of coronavirus

“Only one person from a family would be allowed to move out for availing the essential services,” the officials said.

All commercial establishments except those that sell essentials remain shut,

Sunday happens to be the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed the public to join what he called a “janata curfew” from 7 am to 9 pm on Sunday. Only emergency service vehicles will be allowed on roads both within and outside city limits.

Similar lockdown orders came from Patiala, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Bathinda and Nawanshahr. The lockdown will be effective in Patiala until March 24 and in Bathinda until March 27.

Patiala Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kumar Amit advised the public against paying heed to rumours, especially those on social media.

The development comes as Punjab’s coronavirus cases rose to 13 on Saturday, with 10 more cases being added in a single day.

Seven people associated with a deceased coronavirus victim in Nawanshahr tested positive. Three people also tested positive in Mohali, taking Mohali's tally to four.