PESHAWAR: In wake increasing number of coronavirus cases in the provincial capital Peshawar, the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has decided to impose a weeklong complete lockdown across the province, starting from May 08, which will continue till May 16.
All business hubs and centres will remain closed during the weeklong complete lockdown in Peshawar and other districts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Pharmacies, petrol stations and grocery stores will be exempted from the restriction, according to a notification issued by the provincial home department here on Saturday.
The notification said that all business activities markets and bazaars across the province will be closed from May 08 to May 16.
It added that the medical stores, ovens, grocery stores, dairy, meat, chicken shops, tire punctures, bakery, vegetable, fruit, petrol pumps, utility services (electricity, gas, internet, network call centers, etc.) and hotel restaurants.(take away), would be exempted.
According to the notification, the bazaars would be completely closed on Chand raat (Moon Night). Tourist destinations across the province including Swat Kalam, Galyat, Naran Kagan will also be completely closed from May 08 to May 16, it added.
Hotels, parks, tourist resorts located in tourist destinations will be closed and all types of transport across the province will also be closed from May 8 to May 16, including public transport, the statement said.
Similarly, the inter-district will remain suspended and people will not be allowed to leave their homes.
The commissioner urges the masses to wear face masks, use hand sanitisers and ensure social distancing.
According to the National Command and Operations Center (NCOC), around 5,112 cases of coronavirus were reported while 131 people succumbed to the disease in the last 24 hours, taking the total death toll to 17,811. The total number of confirmed cases reached 820,823. As many as 711,465 patients have recovered from the disease with 5,360 critical cases.
In KP, according to NCOC, the confirmed cases have surged to 118,413 in the province with 3,310 casualties.
Earlier, the provincial government had imposed a complete lockdown in Mardan district, wherein the Covid-19 cases were surged up.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021