Grocery stores, bakeries close at 8pm

LAHORE: The grocery and general stores in the provincial metropolis were closed at 8pm, as per directives of the Punjab government.

The bakeries and general stores located in the main markets previously were closed at midnight despite the lockdown. The stores now followed the cabinet committee’s recommendation for businesses to operate between 08:00am and 08:00pm.

The karyana shops in small localities also closed down as per schedule, while the administration mulled over closing all shops by 05:00pm to ward off the contagion in the province.

The closure of grocery and general stores further reduced the traffic in the provincial capital and is likely to help the government in achieving the goal of stemming the outbreak of the virus.

However, fruit shops and roadside vendors in Johar Town, reportedly, did not follow the government instructions and kept their businesses open even after 10pm.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30^th, 2020.