Sindh extends business hours as Covid-related restrictions ease

Provincial govt allows 'indoor dining for fully vaccinated people'

KARACHI:

The Sindh government on Saturday announced further easing of Covid-related restrictions and extended the closing time for trade activities to 10pm.

The notification released today also allowed 'indoor dining for fully vaccinated people' in the province.

The communique detailed out the easing of the restrictions as follows.

• Businesses are allowed to remain open till 10pm.
• Bakeries and dairy shops are allowed to remain open till 12am.
• Hotels, restaurants and cafes are allowed to resume both indoor and outdoor dining till 12am while maintaining a distance of three feet between customers.
• Indoor dining is allowed at 50 per cent capacity only for vaccinated people and all hotels, restaurants and cafes will have to check the vaccination certificates for these customers.
• Drive-thru, takeaway and delivery are open 24/7.
• Outdoor marriages and functions are allowed with up to 400 people while maintaining a distance of three feet.
• Indoor weddings are allowed with up to 200 vaccinated people and the management will have to check the vaccination certificates.
• Shrines are allowed to open subject to strict standard operating procedures.
• Cinemas and theatres are allowed to remain open till 1am only for vaccinated people.
• Indoor gyms are allowed to open only for vaccinated people.
• Amusement parks, swimming pools and arcades are allowed to open with 50pc occupancy.
• Public transport is allowed to operate with 70pc occupancy.
• All offices, public and private, are allowed to function at 100pc occupancy.
• Sunday will be observed as a 'safe day' in Karachi, other divisions will decide their own safe days.
• All types of indoor and outdoor gatherings, including cultural, musical and religious events are prohibited.

The provincial government further released a list of general guidelines, urging businesses and organisations to ensure vaccination of their staff.

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— GOS-COVID19 (@19sindh) July 2, 2021

The notification went on to add that the authorities will soon begin checking the vaccination status of staffers. It further stated that vaccination would be one of the conditions for a future decision-making on easing of the restrictions.

On June 28, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) relaxed several coronavirus-induced restrictions, as the single-day death toll from the infectious disease hit a seven-month low, while the tally of new cases continued to remain below 1,000.

The NCOC issued new guidelines which would be effective from July 1 till July 31. It said that business centres would be allowed to remain open till 10 pm from July 1, while important businesses, including petrol pumps and medical stores, will be allowed to operate 24/7.

Also read Outdoor dining returns to city

The forum permitted outdoor wedding ceremonies for up to 400 people, while up to 200 people, who had received the Covid vaccine shot, would be able to attend indoor wedding ceremonies. However, the forum retained the ban on cultural, religious and other gatherings.

The NCOC allowed indoor dining at hotels and restaurants with the condition of 50% capacity. It said that those, who had the vaccine shot could be allowed indoor dining. It directed the hotel and restaurant management to check the vaccination certificate. Outdoor dining will be allowed.

The forum decided that shrines could be reopened with strict observance of the standard operating procedure (SOPs). Similarly, cinemas will be allowed to open for the vaccinated people only until 1 O’clock in the morning.

The NCOC said that public transport would be allowed to continue with 70% capacity, recreation areas, swimming pools would be opened with 50% capacity, while the opening of gyms would be subjected to the condition of a vaccination certificate.