Punjab Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan on Sunday asked the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) to take whatever steps possible to arrest the COVID-19 mortality rate in the state which is currently at 2.4 per cent.
"The effort should be on saving every Punjabi's life amid the pandemic," she said while directing the DCs to take special care of critical patients and asking them to take the help of the State Expert Group chaired by Dr KK Talwar and including international and national experts, read a statement from the Punjab government.
In her first video conference meeting with the DCs since taking over as the Chief Secretary, Mahajan expressed concern over the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the state.
She said, "It was the duty of every DC to go the extra mile to ensure proper surveillance and also arrest the mortality rate while sending as many cured patients as possible to their homes."
The Chief Secretary instructed the DCs to allow COVID-19 patients to go to private hospitals at their own expense if they so wished. They should also allow patients in government centres to get their own food if needed, the statement said.
The Chief Secretary said that the DCs should ensure that every people in the state should wear the mask and follow the instructions issued by the government.
She said that it is critical to avoid large gatherings especially in closed spaces, and masks must invariably be worn in such situations.
"Not wearing a mask, not keeping social distance or spitting in public are anti-social acts," she said.
The Chief Secretary urged the DCs to continue to appeal to the people of every district to be vigilant, take precautionary measures and follow the advice of health experts, the statement said.
The meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary Health Anurag Aggarwal, Principal Secretary Finance KAP Sinha, Principal Secretary Medical Education and Research DK Tewari, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Tejveer Singh, Principal Secretary Water Supply and Station Jaspreet Talwar and Secretary Health Kumar Rahul.
( With inputs from ANI )