K-P govt suspends inter-district public transport from March 23

Suspension in effect March 23 9:00am

PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has suspended all inter-district public transport in wake of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak across the country.

A notification issued by the K-P 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 (K-P) 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 coronavirus cases  topped 30 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.

Closed markets in Swat. PHOTO: EXPRESS

It may be mentioned here that public gatherings and private ceremonies in houses and closed compounds are also banned while educational institutions remain closed.