Back to 2020? Markets, restaurants to be closed by 10pm

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has issued orders to close markets and restaurants in Lahore by 10pm in order to control the worsening smog in the city.

The court gave out its ruling after a hearing on a petition seeking the court’s intervention to curb smog. According to the orders, the closure of markets and restaurants by 10pm will be enforced on weekdays.

On weekends, however, restaurants will be allowed to close at 11pm. Although it has been suggested that markets should remain closed on Sundays but the suggestion has been put off for now.

Regarding schools, the court said that schools that remained open on Fridays will be sealed and directed the education department to strictly implement its orders.

Last week, the Punjab Government ordered closure of schools in the provincial capital for three days a week— Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Pakistan’s biggest cities have ranked among the most polluted in the world for the past few weeks, with Lahore, the capital of Punjab, having topped the list the metropolises with the most polluted air several times in the last month.