Smart lockdown imposed in seven cities of Punjab

By Muhammad JuniadPublished On 04 Jan 2023

LAHORE: Amid the ongoing third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, a major lockdown has been imposed in seven cities in Punjab starting from today (Monday). The lockdown will remain in force for a period of two weeks in the cities of Lahore, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala, and Gujrat.

The notification issued by the Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department said that there has been a constant increase in positivity percentage in Covid-19 cases in the province which poses a serious threat to public health.

According to the notification, the major lockdown will restrict the movement of the people; there will be a complete ban on gatherings of all kinds for social, religious, or other purposes at any place, public or private; marriage and banquet halls, community centers and marquees will remain closed; and also a complete ban on indoor and outdoor dining while only takeaway and home delivery will be allowed.

All markets and bazaars shall be closed by 6:00 pm in these seven cities on weekdays while there will be a complete shutter down on Saturdays and Sundays.

However, hospitals, medical stores, bakeries, general stores, milk shops, meat, and chicken shops, tandoors, fruit and vegetable shops, and petrol pumps are exempted from these restrictions.

The statement also said that there will be a complete ban on all kinds of sports, cultural and other activities, and events throughout the province.

On the other hand, the National Assembly Secretariat was also closed for two days due to the threat of the spread of the coronavirus while meetings of the public accounts committee and special committees were also canceled.

Earlier, it was decided to keep the Senate Secretariat closed till March 16 due to a surge in COVID-19 cases. Meanwhile, the CDA has been instructed to disinfect all the offices.