COVID: Punjab govt orders weekend lockdown, extends night curfew by two hours

The Punjab government on Monday ordered a weekend lockdown and extended the night curfew by two hours in a bid to tackle the surge in coronavirus cases.

The government has also ordered the closure of shops by 5 pm.

"Due to continuous & rapid rise of #Covid19 cases in Punjab, Cabinet today has decided to impose daily lockdown from 6 PM to 5 AM and weekend lockdown from Friday 6 PM to Monday 5 AM. Urge you all to stay at home & step out only if absolutely necessary. Seek your full cooperation, " Punjab CM Amarinder Singh in a tweet said.

''All shops will remain open till 5 pm from Monday till Friday,'' said Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar addressing mediapersons after a cabinet meeting here.

He said the night curfew will now be imposed from 6 pm to 5 am in the state daily.

Presently, the curfew restrictions remain in place from 8 pm to 5 am.

The state had witnessed a record single-day spike of 7,014 cases on Sunday.