Business hours in Sindh extended to 8pm

KARACHI: Sindh government has decided to relax some Covid-19 related restrictions, and allowed shopkeepers to continue their business activities from 5am to 8pm from Monday (today). Also, the provincial government has decided to open educational institutions from Class-IX and above with 50 percent attendance from Monday.

It allowed the restaurants to offer outdoor dining service till 12pm from Monday (today) with certain strict SOPs.

The decision came in the meeting of Provincial Task Force on Coronavirus which was presided over by Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah on Sunday at CM House, However, Sunday and Friday will remain closed for business activities as usual.

The meeting was attended by provincial ministers, Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, Saeed Ghani, Nasir Shah, Jam Ikram, Advisor Law Murtaza Wahab, Parliamentary Secretary on Health Qasim Siraj Soomro, Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, IG Police Mushtaq Maher, ACS Home Usman Chachar, Adl IG Karachi Imran Yakoob, PSCM Sajid Jamal Abro, Secretary School Education Ahmed Bux Narejo, Secretary Industries Riazuddin Qureshi, Dr Bari, Dr Faisal, Dr Sara of WHO, Dr Qaiser Sajjad, and representatives of Corps-5 and Rangers. At the outset of the meeting, the task force was told about the detection Ratio of Covid-19 cases in Karachi that has come down from 12.45 on June 1, 2021 to 8.25 percent on June 5. But it was observed that the death rate was still 1.6 percent. After discussion and deliberation the meeting decided to relax some Covid-19 related restrictions so that people start their business activities but simultaneously it must be linked to vaccination.

The chief minister, on the recommendations of the task force members, decided to allow shops to do their business activities from 5am to 8pm.

Earlier, the shops were allowed to operate till 6pm. He also allowed the restaurants to offer out-door dining service till 12pm.

“This has been allowed on the condition that the shopkeeper and restaurant owners would vaccinate their staff members within the next two weeks,” he said and added after two weeks the government would start random checking of their staff.

It may be noted that earlier outdoor dining at the restaurants was banned. Murad Ali Shah directed Commissioner Karachi to open the sea view and beach to the public but inform the visitors through sign boards/banners/media to follow SOPs. The Saloons would also operate under Covid-19 SOPs. The meeting also allowed marriage halls to start offering marriage functions in open spaces after two weeks.

The chief minister directed the education minister to start mass vaccination of teaching staff in all the educational institutions. The chief minister hoped that the traders and the public would follow the SOPs.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021