DW BUREAU / Chandigarh Many people kept moving in their vehicles in Punjab from 11 am till noon on Saturday as they say they were unaware of the state government's decision to observe an hour's silence in memory of those who succumbed to COVID-19. Police stopped intra city traffic at some places and it led to long queues of vehicles, causing inconvenience to commuters. The Punjab government had announced observing an an hour of silence from 11 am on every Saturday starting March 27 in memory of all those who lost their lives to the contagion. During that hour, the traffic movement would not be allowed, except on state and national highways. Intra-city vehicular traffic should not be plied during this hour, as per orders. Sirens were sounded in the districts to indicate the start and end of the silence period. In Ludhiana, a commuter in a car said he was unaware of the state government's decision of observing the silence hour, adding that he was going to meet some patient at a local hospital. A two-wheeler rider in Hoshiarpur said he also did not know about the silence period.People at many places including Ludhiana, Sangrur, Mansa and Moga, were commuting during 11 am till noon. A police official in Hoshiarpur said they were appealing to people to stop their vehicles during the one-hour silence period. He, however, said if anyone has an emergency, then he is allowed to leave. A commuter in Amritsar urged the state government not to stop traffic during 11 am till noon as people who have some emergency work could get stuck in a traffic jam.On Friday, the state had reported 3,176 infections, the highest single-day spike, while 59 more people had died of the contagion. / PTI / (editor@dailyworld.in)