- Capt.Amrinder Singh
- Hon’ble Chief Minister of Punjab
- Chandigarh
- April 23,2020
Dear Chief Minister,
I just returned from Punjab to USA after spending almost two months stay in Punjab. I had experience at the ground level during Lock-down and Curfew. On the basis of my experience at the ground level I would like to say that I am not in favor of lifting curfew in Punjab. We can do what we want but the ground realities are not permitting us to left the curfew or lock-down. Here I am giving you some examples of other countries where peoples are more responsible than the people of our country.
In late February, Hokkaido became the first place in Japan to declare a state of emergency due to COVID-19. Schools were closed, large-scale gatherings were cancelled, and people were “encouraged” to stay at home. The local government pursued the virus with determination, aggressively tracing and isolating anyone who’d had contact with victims. The policy worked and by mid-March the number of new cases had fallen back to one or two a day.
On March 19th the state of emergency was lifted, and at the beginning of April, schools re-opened. However, just 26 days after the state of emergency was lifted, a new one Lock-down had to be imposed. On the week of April 6th, Hokkaido recorded 135 new confirmed cases of COVID-19. Unlike the first outbreak in February, there is no evidence the virus has been re-imported from outside Japan. What does this tell us about the virus? If a lock-down is lifted too soon, chances are high that people will be reinfected.
Before lifting the curfew or lock-down in our state we should also look at China and Singapore, they seemed to have the virus “under control” for a while, but now they are experiencing massive waves of local transmission of infection and reinfection. Doctors predict there will be 2nd, 3rd, and 4th waves, until a vaccine is discovered which may require at least a year or more of clinical trials.
We know that the economy and people of our state are suffering but to save the people of our state should be our top priority. Economy can be improved later and people’s sufferings will be forgotten but if anyone will die due to COVID-9 then he or she will not come back. Our medical professionals and Health department should work on how to protect our people and aware the people right now by making sure their immune system is healthy. We also need to arm our self with immune-modulating supplements to boost and activate immune system of our people.
We therefore request you to think for some other alternatives to maintain social/physical distances in our state before lifting the curfew or lock down
- With Regards,
- Yours Sincerely
- Satnam Singh Chahal
- Executive Director
