“Top Headlines of the Day”

1. ‘No walk-in’ at PGI OPDs to stay for now

In the wake of increasing Covid-19 cases in the city, the PGI will not restore the outpatient departments (OPDs) to their full capacity for the time being.

The institute had partially restored the physical OPDs to a restricted number of patients for which an appointment through teleconsultation is required. The PGI is a hub of tertiary care medical services in the region and used to witness a daily footfall of around 10,000 patients every day in the OPDs.

“We are totally responsible for the non-Covid services as well. We are catering to patients over the telephone and in case a patient needs immediate attention, they are being called for consultation in person,” said he.

2. 13,783 violators unmasked so far, challaned

So far, 13,783 challans have been issued by the Chandigarh Police to people for not wearing a mask.

With the number of Covid cases rising, the challenging drive has also been intensified. As many as 1,705 challans have already been issued this month in comparison to 1,675 issued in October.

Social distancing: 365 challaned

The police have also issued 365 challans for violating the social distancing norm in the city.

3. Covid surge: Haryana limits social, political gatherings to counter Covid surge

The Haryana government on Tuesday decided to limit the number of persons allowed at social gatherings such as marriages, political or religious functions, in view of the fresh surge in Covid-19 cases in the state.

CM said to contain the spread of the virus, particularly in the six national capital region districts of Gurugram, Rewari, Faridabad, Rohtak, Sonepat and Hisar, gatherings will be restricted to 50 persons in case of indoor events and 100 persons in case of outdoor events.

In the remaining districts, the gathering has been limited to 100 persons for indoor functions and 200 persons for outdoor. These orders will be effective from November 26.

4. How HP lost control over Covid battle

Until October the Covid-19 situation in Himachal Pradesh seemed to be under control with the recovery rate well above 86% and new infections decreasing.

By November, however, things changed and the third wave hit the state.

More than 12,300 cases and 238 fatalities were recorded this month as compared to the previous highest tally of 8,938 cases in September since the outbreak.

The recovery rate also slipped below 80%.

HP now has the highest ratio of active cases in terms of population in the country and also the highest positivity rate.

Four of its districts are among the top 10 in India with the highest infection rate.

5. Light rain likely in Chandigarh

Western disturbances are likely to bring light rain in Chandigarh on Wednesday and Thursday.

According to the India Meteorological Department, up to 10mm rain can be expected, which is likely to lead to a dip in temperature.

While the maximum temperature went down marginally from 22.8°C on Monday to 22.2°C on Tuesday, the minimum temperature rose to 12.3°C from 9.6°C owing to cloudy weather.

In the coming three days, the day temperature is expected to remain between 19 and 24 degrees while the night temperature will remain between 9 to 12 degrees.

6. Mohali plans aggressive Covid testing

The administration has decided to make all-out efforts to increase Covid-19 sampling in the district to detect and control the disease, deputy commissioner (DC) Girish Dayalan said on Tuesday.

Reviewing the status of Covid-19 infections in the district with subdivisional magistrates (SDMs) and senior medical officers of the district, Dayalan said, “testing may be increased twofold with special focus on vulnerable sections coupled with aggressive contact tracing, aiming for least 15 contacts per case.”

The control room would also be strengthened with a requisite staff round the clock to sort out the grievances of the callers.

Strict enforcement measures with respect to compliance with health protocols and advisories were also stressed upon.

7. Soon, all vehicles registered in Chandigarh to pay cow cess

Soon, people may have to pay cow cess even if their vehicle is registered in Chandigarh is purchased from some other state/UT.

A proposal for the same will be submitted before the MC general house meeting scheduled for November 27.

In June, the administration had already started imposing cow fee on vehicles being purchased in the city. But, the Registration and Licensing Authority (RLA), which collects the amount on the behalf of the MC, recently submitted that provision should be made in the cow fee notification allowing the imposition of a fee on vehicles purchased outside the Chandigarh but registered with the RLA here.

In the original order, the mandate is for the imposition of a Rs 500 fee on the four-wheeler and Rs 200 on the two-wheelers purchased in Chandigarh.

The RLA stated that their office is unable to ask any person to deposit a cow fee from a legal point of view in case the vehicle is purchased from outside the city but registered with it. It recommended an amendment in the original cow fee notification.

8. COVID Tally: Chandigarh 70 new cases, 80 in Mohali,14 in Panchkula with 2 deaths in each of these.

Chandigarh: As many as 79 fresh cases of Covid-19 were reported in the city on Tuesday. The UT also witnessed two deaths, taking the toll to 265. As many as 1,128 cases are active.

Mohali: Two more Covid-19 fatalities were witnessed during the past 24 hours in the district, taking the death toll to 269. Meanwhile, 80 fresh cases also surfaced in the district, while three more patients were cured of the disease. There are now 1,471 active cases in the district.

Panchkula: The district witnessed two more Covid fatalities during the past 24 hours, taking the toll to 124, while 14 fresh cases were reported, taking the case tally to 8,396. There are now 465 active cases, while 124 persons have succumbed to the disease.