Ambala borders tightened as administration issues fresh restrictions

The Ambala district administration has enforced the curbs more strictly by restricting cross-border movement across all the borders with effect from Saturday.

In an order issued by district magistrate (DM) Ashok Kumar Sharma on Friday, the administration banned the movement for any additional purposes (other than those exempted) without seeking permission and also asked people moving in and out of the district to make accommodation arrangements in order to avoid daily cross-border transit.

“The persons working in Ambala will have to make living arrangements for themselves in the city itself while the residents of Ambala working in places outside the territory will have to pursue similar accommodation arrangements so as to preclude any cross-border transit,” said DM Sharma.

In his order, Sharma said, “If cross-border transit becomes unavoidable, people will either have to install and use Aarogya Setu app or go through thermal scanning and symptomatic screening at border check-posts. “Symptomatic persons will be tested through the rapid testing facility. The conditions will also be applied to persons involved in exempted services,” the order said.

“Further, the persons falling under a few exempted services and who undertake cross-border transit in and out of Ambala every day will be mandatorily quarantined in locations designated by the DM during the entire time from his return to Ambala till next travel back out of Ambala,” the order read, adding that the violators of the order will also be booked under relevant sections of law.

The fresh restrictions have come at a time when the Ambala has not yet reached a stage of 14 days without a positive case and is surrounded by two Punjab hotspots: Patiala district and Dera Bassi’s Jawaharpur village that has recorded a maximum number of positive cases.

As of now, there are two positive cases in the district, both undergoing treatment in Chandigarh. On Thursday, the administration also banned the residential entry of any outside person from other districts or states to the Ambala district.

The order issued on Thursday read, “…in exercise of the powers given under Section 34 (c) of the Disaster Management Act-2005, the district authority prohibits the residential entry of people coming from other states and districts without giving proper permission of sub-divisional magistrate concerned or station house officer of thanas concerned and the Ambala civil surgeon.

DM Sharma said, “Both the orders issued in consecutive days shall remain valid as both are for different purposes. The latest order is for people travelling to-and-fro from Ambala, while the Thursday’s order is for those who are coming to stay in the district.”

“We have already banned the entry of farmers coming from Punjab to sell their crops in mandis of Ambala,” he added.