Businesses nationwide take undue advantage of lockdown laxity

Pakistan

Businesses nationwide take undue advantage of lockdown laxity

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – After the National Coordination Committee (NCC) meeting decided to extend the nationwide lockdown by two weeks while allowing certain low-risk industries and business to reopen, many other businesses took advantage of the situation and tried to overlook the given directives.

According to reports, people did not follow given guidelines and businesses that had not been given any exemption from the lockdown also restarted their operation. A complete lack of security precautionary measure was observed and there is now fear of the coronavirus spreading further. District administration took notice of the violations and closed down several markets and shops with the help of Police Department.

Only a few industries of the construction sector; sand, gravel, steel and cement industries were given concessions but instead ceramics, marble, stone and sanitary fitting shops also reopened. It is pertinent to mention that only industries related to constructional gray structure have been allowed to operate by the government.

Traders of Urdu Bazar took advantage of the exemption given to stationary shops and kept periodically reopening their shops even though the Police closed them down throughout the day.

Abid Market, the city‘s largest electronics market, remained closed, but some shopkeepers raised their shutters halfway and did business through agents. On the other hand, barbers too took advantage of the first day of relaxation in Lockdown and continued business throughout the day.

Partial lockdown was seen being properly implemented in Liberty Market and Kareem Block while in Anarkali Market, all businesses except food shops remained closed. Traders of Hafeez Center have announced to fully follow the ruling of lockdown implementation till April 30.

The district administration along with Police shut down some lockdown violating businesses after a few hours, however, citizens appeared baffled at the blatant violations on the very first day of lockdown extension.