Punjab makes negative RT-PCR report or vaccination certificate mandatory to enter state from Monday

Amid the scare of Delta Variant of COVID-19, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh ordered compulsory complete vaccination against coronavirus or negative RT-PCR report for people who will be entering the state from Monday. CM Amarinder Singh announced the same on Saturday and ordered strict monitoring for people coming from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu, which are showing increased positivity.

The directives came at a COVID review meeting chaired by CM Amarinder Singh, who expressed concern about the positivity in Himachal Pradesh and other parts of the country, which has caused positivity in Punjab to also increase marginally to 0.2 percent in the last week, with RO going up to 1.05 percent.

The rule on full vaccination or negative RT-PCR report will apply to all those entering Punjab by road, rail, or air, announced the Chief Minister, adding that if a person is found to not have either of these, RAT testing shall be mandatory, unless he/she has recently recovered from COVID.

The Chief Minister has also directed that only fully vaccinated teaching and non-teaching staff, or those recently recovered from COVID, should physically teach in schools and colleges, with an online learning option to remain available to all children.

He further ordered prioritisation of teachers and non-teaching staff for vaccination, with special camps to be held to ensure that all are covered with the first dose within this month and those due for the second dose to be also prioritised.

Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu suggested reducing the gap between the two doses to prioritise the second dose for teachers and other school staff.