Even as he hinted at certain relaxations, with restrictions and precautions, in the coming days, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday announced compulsory 21-day state quarantine for all those returning to the state from other places to check further spread of Covid.

All pilgrims returning from Nanded, and students & labourers coming from Rajasthan, will be stopped at the border and sent to Government quarantine centres to ensure that they do not mix with other people for 21 days, said the Chief Minister, adding that Radha Soami Satsang Deras would also be used to quarantine these people, whose return was being facilitated by his government since the past 3 days.

The Chief Minister made this announcement even as he indicated that his government could go for certain relaxations while taking all precautions, based on the report of the Expert Committee formulating the state’s Covid-19 curfew/lockdown exit strategy.

On a request from Uttar Pradesh to send back their migrant labourers after quarantining them in Punjab, the Chief Minister said he shall convey to his counterpart there that this has to be done by his government and not by Punjab.

The Chief Minister further made it clear that his government would make all efforts to retain and care for the migrant labourers, whose return was now being facilitated by various states, such as Uttar Pradesh. “We need to look after them so that they do not leave Punjab, where they are needed to help out in the procurement operations as well as the industries that we are gradually opening up,” he said.

Pointing out that cases were continuing to rise even 35 days after the lockdown was imposed, the Chief Minister said the Central Government had indicated, based on various inputs and studies, that the increasing trend would continue till July. However, in response to a question on the need for a lockdown, he said later that the lockdown was necessary to delay the spread as far as possible to enable the nation to prepare better if the situation worsens, and also in the hope of a vaccine.

Punjab had already lost 19 lives, with 330 cases as of last count, he observed, adding that after the NRIs and the Tabligi Jamaat, the latest threat of the spread of the disease in the state was on account of the pilgrims who were coming back from Gurdwara Hazoor Sahib in Nanded (Maharashtra). Another large Jatha was expected to return to Punjab on Wednesday and the state government planned to put all of them in quarantine in the Radha Soami deras, he added.

The Chief Minister assured that there would be no shortage of bales to handle the bumper wheat crop. He also reiterated that there would be no FIRs against owners/CEOs of industries in case of any incidence of Covid.