We just now came to know that Chandigarh Administration is allowing to open all the shops related to Chemists, Vegetables, Fruits, Meat, grocery, Kriyana, etc. from 10 AM to 6 PM everyday.
PGI Employees Union(Non Faculty) and PGI Medical Technologists Association, strongly oppose this step. This will defeat the purpose of social distancing and quarantine. It will be impossible to maintain social distancing when the shops are open. The hospital staff is struggling to ensure steps to contain the spread of the virus, arrange personal protective equipments for the health care staff, arrange special wards/ICU;s for the impending epidemic. The only way to contain this virus is by prevention. In no way we will be able to handle this disease if it reaches the proportion of countries like Italy, China, etc. Our Prime Minister has announced a package worth crores of rupees to to fight this epidemic. All that money will also be of no use, if the epidemic reaches in Stage 3 or 4. We don’t know under whose able advice this step has been taken.
We request the administration that this step should immediately be withdrawn.
