In line with the announcement made by the federal government a few days ago, about lifting the lockdown in Pakistan, all shopping malls, gyms, restaurants, cinema halls, beauty salons, barber shops and hotels have been reopened today (Monday) as per provincial government’s decision, reports Dunya News. However, all SOPs must be adhered to, in wake of coronavirus. Countrywide restrictions were imposed in March to prevent the spread of the virus.
As per the details, all markets, shopping malls, public parks, sports clubs and tourism have also been resumed. The markets and malls will remain open till 9pm throughout the week and the ban on pillion riding has also been lifted.
All games have been allowed apart from wrestling, rugby, Kabaddi, but without any audience. Even though public transportation is allowed, passengers are not permitted to travel while standing in the buses.
Source: Samaa News
All roads, rail and air transport are resumed without any restrictions on the number of operational trains and planes. However, passengers must maintain distance amongst themselves while traveling, until the end of September.
Tourism restrictions were placed on 19th March and people were isolated in their homes. Now ever since tourism was resumed on Saturday, 8th August after five months, people have rushed to northern areas of Pakistan.
A high influx of tourists have been noticed in Swat and Naran, where a massive traffic jam was witnessed on the first day. Moreover, availability of hotel rooms was also a common issue in places Kalam due to high number of tourists in the area.
Furthermore, all beauty parlors, barbar shops, salons and shrines have also been given permission to resume operations, but no public event can be held without prior permission and notice.
Coronavirus Cases in Pakistan
According to latest data, number of positive cases in Pakistan have reached 284,660 and has reported 15 deaths in the last 24 hours. The countrywise numbers have reached 6,097.
As per Dunya News reports, 2,272 individuals have lost their lives to the pandemic in Sindh while 2,170 lost lives in Punjab. While 231 people lost their lives in KP, 138 in Balochistan, 171 in Islamabad, 57 in GB and 58 in Azad Kashmir.
There are 260,764 coronavirus patients that have recovered in the country while 776 patients are in critical condition.
Source: Dawn News
Pakistan’s Fight Against COVID-19
Asad Umar, the Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives headed the National Coordination Committee (NCC) meeting last week where he praised the government’s effective strategy on tackling COVID-19; the efforts of frontline workers were also appreciated.
All educational institutions will open on September 15th after a review is conducted on 7th September, by the Ministry of Education.
Asad Umer appreciated the smart lockdown strategy implemented by Pakistan; other countries have also praised Pakistan’s efforts in flattening the curve, including Bill Gates.
Stay tuned for more news and updates!