Cases slow in twin cities

Punjab mulls reopening restaurants from July 15

RAWALPINDI:

Government officials on Monday claimed that the rate at which new novel coronavirus cases are being registered in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi have declined. As a result, the provincial government is looking to reopen restaurants and hotels for restricted dine-in facilities later this month.

According to the health department, 85 novel coronavirus (Covid-19) cases were registered in the federal capital on Monday, taking the city’s total tally to 13,494 cases. There have been 137 associated deaths from the virus in the city.

Meanwhile, Rawalpindi recorded 40 new cases, taking its tally to 6,358 cases.

Restaurants may reopen

Restaurants and hotels across Punjab may start welcoming customers for dine-in on July 15 but at just half of their usual seating capacity, The Express Tribune has learnt.

Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat has assured the restaurateurs that he will put forward their requests for reopening before Chief Minister Usman Buzdar.

A delegation of Rawalpindi Hotel and Restaurant Association, headed by its President Sheikh Waheed, met with the provincial minister on Monday.

Members of the delegation said that they were facing extreme difficulties in paying their fixed overheads such as rent and utility bills. They warned that 90% of hotels and restaurants in the garrison city may close permanently unless they are provided with support.

They demanded that restaurants and hotels must reopen under standard operating procedures (SOPs) along with a waiver in property tax for three months.

Hotel owners further said that they paid social security fees for their employees to the social security department for health certificates of their employees. But the Punjab Food Authority (PFA) refused to accept them and charged them social security fees again.

They demanded that the two departments coordinate with each other.

Waheed confirmed the development to The Express Tribune, adding that the provincial minister had hinted at reopening restaurants from next week once the SOPs were ready.

Rescue 1122 workers want allowance

Rescue 1122 workers who have been fighting the battle against Covid-19, have been deprived of the special allowances for frontline workers announced by the provincial government.

Sources told The Express Tribune that Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar had announced a Shuhada (martyrs) Package for rescue workers who had died in the line of duty during the pandemic and a special allowance.

In this regard, Rescue 1122 officials in Rawalpindi were asked to draft a list of officials and rescue workers who were ‘Frontline Rescuers’.

The government had directed to include all those employees who have been in the field since the pandemic began to pay them the allowance.

However, sources revealed that the list included names of many officials who were not physically in the field while others who performed the dangerous job of shifting Covid-19 patients were not included.

Rawalpindi Rescue 1122 Spokesperson Usman Gujjar said that he has yet to see the list personally, but stated that his name was not on it.

Despite repeated attempts, District Emergency Officer (DEO) Dr Abdul Rehman could not be reached.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 7^th, 2020.