HomeNewsIndiaCOVID-19: Night curfew imposed, educational institutions shut in Punjab

COVID-19: Night curfew imposed, educational institutions shut in Punjab

Movement of individuals for all non-essential activities shall remain prohibited between 10 pm to 5 am within municipal limits of all cities and towns of Punjab, according to an order issued by the home affairs and justice department on Tuesday.

January 04, 2022 / 11:17 IST
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Representational image
Representational image

Amid rising COVID-19 cases, the Punjab government on Tuesday decided to clamp night curfew, shut educational institutions and allow cinema halls to operate with 50 per cent capacity to arrest the spread of the infection, officials said.

Movement of individuals for all non-essential activities shall remain prohibited between 10 pm to 5 am within municipal limits of all cities and towns of Punjab, according to an order issued by the home affairs and justice department on Tuesday.

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All educational institutions, including schools, colleges, universities, and coaching institutions, shall remain closed, it further said. Bars, cinema halls, multiplexes, malls, restaurants, spas, museums, and zoos shall be allowed to operate at 50 per cent of their capacity subject to all employees being fully vaccinated, it said.

Only fully vaccinated staff will be allowed to attend government and private offices, working spaces, factories, and industries, it said.

COVID-19 Vaccine
Frequently Asked Questions

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How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.
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