Grocery stores to remain open, restaurants to remain closed during Sehr and iftar

Dunya News

He said implementation of 20 points safety strategy will be ensured for performing Namaz-e-Taraweeh

LAHORE (Dunya News) – Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar on Wednesday said that Tandoors, milk and yoghurt shops will remain open during Sehr in holy month of Ramazan while the restaurants will remain closed during Sehr and Iftaar.

This was decided in a video link meeting of cabinet committee for the eradication of coronavirus which met on Wednesday at CM Office with CM Usman Buzdar in the chair.

The chief minister emphasized that practice of doing business with shutters down will not be allowed and the shop will be challaned and sealed under the anti-corona ordinance in case of violation.

He said implementation of 20 points safety strategy will be ensured for performing Namaz-e-Taraweeh and five prayers during Ramazan-ul-Mubarak and legal action will be initiated against the industry in case of SOPs  violation. 216 localities have, so far, been locked down in Punjab.

On the other hand, CM Usman Buzdar approved the establishment of four additional diagnostic labs for coronavirus in the province. In the first phase, labs will be set up in Sialkot and Sargodha while the facility will be provided in Rahim Yar Khan and Gujrat in the next phase.

While directing the Health Department to speed up its work, the CM told that up-gradation of labs in The Institute of Public Health and TB Control Programme has been completed and this facility is also provided to Allied Hospital Faisalabad, Nishtar Hospital Multan and THQ Hospital Wazirabad.

The participants of the meeting was briefed about the smart lockdown and phase-wise opening of industrial units during Ramazan-ul-Mubarak.

In the meantime, the daily diagnostics testing capacity of Punjab has reached to 4500 and new labs in Bahawalpur, DG Khan and Rawalpindi will be made functional in the next few days, he said and added during the last 24 hours, 2247 persons have been tested while more than 64000 citizens have undergone coronavirus tests in Punjab, till today. The total number of coronavirus patients in Punjab is 4431, he added.