'Industries not following SOPs may be sealed'

Minister says people have been acting carelessly since the lockdown was eased

KARACHI: Industries that were allowed to function after the lockdown relaxation may be sealed if they do not follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs) defined by the government, warned Sindh Industries and Commerce Minister Jam Ikramullah Dharejo on Thursday.

"The Sindh government is facing several problems, but the two major problems are protecting the people from the coronavirus and providing them with employment so that their stoves do not run cold," said the provincial minister.

He asked the industrialists to extend their support to the Sindh government in order to keep the industrial wheel running and comply with the SOPs devised to curb the coronavirus outbreak.

The provincial minister added that since the lockdown had been relaxed, people had been acting carelessly, taking no precautions against Covid-19, which could increase the local transmission of the virus.

Calling the current situation 'dangerous,' he appealed to the people to take safety measures against the virus, adding that the government would otherwise have to revisit its policy of easing the lockdown.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 15^th, 2020.