Coronavirus outbreak: KP government suspends inter-district public transport

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government Saturday suspended all inter-district public transport in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak across the country. A notification issued by the KP Relief, Rehabilitation and Settlement Department said all inter-district passenger public transport will stand suspended under Section 16(A)(1) of the National Disaster Management Authority (KP) Act 2010 for seven days with effect from 9:00am on March 23.
The notification further added that the directive is not applicable to intra-district transport, plying of private vehicles and goods/freight transport. The move comes as the province's tally of confirmed Corona virus cases topped 32 on Saturday. The nationwide tally of COVID-19 patients has jumped to 646 with 292 cases in Sindh; 104 in Balochistan; over 152 in Punjab; 55 in Gilgit-Baltistan; 11 in Islamabad; and one in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The provincial government previously announced a lockdown and shut down all markets, shopping malls and restaurants from Sunday 9:00am to March 24 owing to escalation in the transmission of COVID-19. The government has also barred restaurants and eateries from takeaways, only allowing home delivery services. It may be mentioned here that public gatherings and private ceremonies in houses and closed compounds are also banned while educational institutions remain closed.