ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar said on Monday that the federal government has decided to impose some new restrictions in major cities of Pakistan to control the rising number of COVID-19 cases.
Speaking during a press conference with Dr Faisal Sultan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health, the Minister said that all the decisions were taken after being approved by Prime Minister Imran Khan, jio.tv Reported.
The minister said the new coronavirus restrictions will come into effect from August 3 and will remain in force till August 31.
In Punjab, restrictions will be imposed in Rawalpindi, Lahore, Faisalabad and Multan; The new restrictions will be applicable in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Peshawar and Abbottabad.
In independent Jammu and Kashmir, restrictions will be imposed in Muzaffarabad and Mirpur, while in Gilgit-Baltistan the new rules will apply to Gilgit and Skardu.
For Sindh, Karachi and Hyderabad already have a lockdown, but after August 8, the new NCOC restrictions will also apply, the minister said.
“Sindh will decide the new course of action regarding restrictions in the province after August 8. If Sindh decides to relax its restrictions after August 8, the new restrictions announced today by the NCOC will apply,” he said.
As per the new restrictions, all business activities will be suspended till 8 pm instead of 10 pm, while indoor dining will remain banned. He said outdoor dining would be allowed till 10 pm instead of 12 pm, while takeaway and home-delivery services from restaurants would be allowed 24 hours.
The minister announced that public transport will operate at 50% capacity to avoid congestion inside vehicles.
Shops and markets would remain closed twice a week, he said, adding that provincial governments would decide on safe days.
Omar said the offices would continue to operate at 50% capacity and appealed to the public to get themselves vaccinated at the earliest.
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