Punjab govt extends smart lockdown till July 15

LAHORE: The Punjab government today (Tuesday) has decided to extend the ongoing smart lockdown till July 15, due to the increasing number of the coronavirus cases in the province.

According to a notification, educational institutes, wedding halls, restaurants, parks, cinemas will remain closed across the province by July 15.

The notification further said the small markets and shops will remain open between 9:00 am 7:00 pm. These businesses will be allowed to run five days a week and will remain closed on Weekends.

“Medical stores puncture shops, Tandoors, and agriculture workshops have been exempted from the restrictions. The intercity bus service has also been exempted from the restrictions,” read the notification.

The notification also mentioned that social and religious gatherings, sports activities will not be allowed. Churches will only be open on Sundays from 7am to 5pm. Call centers will be allowed to function with 50 percent of staff.

The provincial government has also allowed the opening of low-risk businesses provided they followed the standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the authorities.

According to the Punjab Health Ministry, almost 723 new coronavirus cases had been reported in Punjab in the past 24 hours, taking the provincial tally to 75,501.

The Ministry further informed that 46 more people had died due to coronavirus in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 1,727.