Spike in Covid-19 prompts smart lockdown
Following an increase in the number of coronavirus patients, Punjab government has decided to impose smart lockdown in six districts for two weeks.
All cultural events, including spring festival, Punjab Cultural Day and other public gatherings in Lahore had been cancelled.
The business and trade community strongly condemned the government’s decision to impose another ‘smart lockdown’ and demanded authorities concerned to review this decision.
Addressing a news conference on Saturday, trade leaders Mujahid Maqsood Butt, Nasir Hameed Khan and other objected to the government’s decision to impose the smart lockdown.
They claimed that the business community was already bearing the brunt of coronavirus-induced lockdowns.
They asked the government to allow businesses to function until 8pm instead of the proposed closing time of 6pm.
Trader leader Naeem Mir asserted that shopkeepers would open their businesses tomorrow as per routine. “They will run their businesses normally and use facemask during business hours.”
He warned that the trading community would not allow any highhandedness of the authorities concerned.
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Metropolitan Corporation Lahore (MCL) had also decided not to set up Sunday Bazaars to avoid public gatherings.
Special Assistant to Punjab Chief Minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said the CM had to make these difficult decisions for controlling the recent wave of coronavirus in the province.
She further said 1,239 new coronavirus patients had been reported in the province during the past 24 hours and the number of active cases had reached 9,106.
She added, “As many as 34 people succumbed to the virus in Punjab during the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 5,731.
At least 16,377 Covid-19 tests were conducted in the province, taking the total virus tests so far to 3.49 million.”
She stated the new lockdown restrictions were being imposed in the places where the number of coronavirus patients reached 5 per cent of the total residents. “These restrictions are aimed at preventing people from this pandemic.”
She appealed to the people to support the government in its efforts against the coronavirus.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 14th, 2021.