COVID-19: Here’s what you can and cannot do amid lockdown in Punjab

Amid a drastic rise in COVID-19 cases in Punjab, the provincial government has decided to reimpose numerous restrictions in different districts of the province.

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar tweeted an update on the new restrictions, saying that COVID-19 cases, especially the UK variant, were spreading across the province rapidly.

“According to the advice of health experts, starting from Saturday night, we have decided to implement strict coronavirus SOPs in districts with over 5% positivity rate for the next 15 days,” he wrote.

ان اضلاع میں تمام تعلیمی ادارے، پارکس، ان ڈور شادی ہال، مزارات، میلے، کھیلوں کی سرگرمیوں وغیرہ پر 15 دن کےلیے پابندی ہو گی۔
مارکیٹس شام 6 بجے بند کر دی جائیں گی۔

سمارٹ لاک ڈاؤن SOPs پر بھی سختی سےعملدرآمد کےاحکامات دئیےہیں۔

اس حوالےسے تفصیلی نوٹیفکیشن محکمہ صحت جاری کرے گا۔ 2/3 pic.twitter.com/4Cbl2CF6F1

— Usman Buzdar (@UsmanAKBuzdar) March 12, 2021

Later, the Punjab health department issued a notification listing restrictions across the province.

“The positivity rate in some cities is constantly rising and third wave is looming, which poses a serious and imminent threat to public health,” read the notification, adding that the restrictions are being put in place under the Punjab Infectious Diseases (Prevention and Control) Act 2020.

پنجاب بھر میں کورونا کے بڑھتے ہوئے کیسز کے پیش نظر 29 مارچ تک کورونا ایس او پیز پر سختی سے عمل کروانے کا فیصلہ: pic.twitter.com/9oy6HWhsyp

— Government of Punjab (@GovtofPunjabPK) March 13, 2021

Meanwhile, here’s what you can and cannot do during the lockdown:

• All commercial activities, establishments and markets will close by 6 pm on weekdays and completely closed on weekends.

• This excludes medical services, general stores, bakeries, milk and meat shops, tire puncture shops, fruit and vegetable shops, tandoors, petrol pumps, oil depots, LPG outlets and filing plants, agriculture machinery workshops and spare parts shops, printing press, call centres (with 50% staff and no public dealing).

• Complete ban on indoor and outdoor dining in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala and Gujrat and only takeaway/ home delivery will be allowed in these cities. Only takeaway and home delivery from restaurants will be allowed.

• Wedding halls are to remain closed in Lahore, Rawalpindi. Sargodha, Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala and Gujrat from March 15. Only outdoor functions will be allowed with a maximum of 300 guests.

• Parks will close at 6 pm.

• Offices are to follow a 50% work from home policy.

• Cinemas and shrines will stay closed.

• Indoor gatherings have been banned. Outdoor gatherings are allowed with a maximum of 50 people in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala and Gujrat and 300 persons (outdoor) in the rest of the province for a maximum of two hours.

• Sports and all cultural activities will still be banned.

• Industrial activities and establishments are exempt from these restrictions