Punjab bans gatherings for nine days

The provincial government of Punjab on Monday imposed a lockdown from July 27 midnight till August 5 in view of limiting the footfall of general public during the Eid celebrations in order to contain the spread of coronavirus pandemic. 

The move comes a day after the Punjab government reported zero deaths for the first time since the pandemic spread into the country. 

“In exercise of powers under Section 4(c),5(1)(e), 5(1)(f) of “The Punjab Infectious Diseases (Prevention and Control) Ordinance, 2020, I, Captain (R) Muhammad Usman, Secretary, Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department, Government of the Punjab, with the approval of Chief Minister, Punjab , do hereby order as follows.” 

“All educational and training institutes, marriage halls, business centers, expo halls, restaurants — except takeaway and home delivery, theme/amusement parks, public parks, play areas and arcades, beauty parlors and spas, cinemas, theaters shall remain closed.” 

The order further said “there shall be a complete ban on sporting tournaments/matches — indoor or outdoor except non-contact professional sports and indoor sports clubs/facilities shall remain closed.”

Meanwhile, it said there shall also be a complete ban on gatherings of all kinds for social, religious , or any other purpose at any place, public or private whereas all retail shops, markets, shopping malls and plazas shall remain closed. 

The notice, however, allowed exemption for all medical services, pharmacies and stores, tyre puncture shops, atta chakki (flour mills), postal/courier services, driver hotels, petrol pumps, oil depots, LPG outlets and filling plants, agriculture machinery workshops, printing press, call centers — with only 50pc staff and no public dealing — takeaway and home delivery from restaurants for 24 hours a day. 

The smart lockdown is a proactive move taken by the provincial government as it aims to control the number of coronavirus cases which has slowed down over the last few weeks.