Cops close shops in Peshawar after 4pm

PESHAWAR: In a move to make the lockdown effective and prevent spread of coronavirus, contingents of police closed shops in different parts of the provincial capital on Saturday while implementing fresh notification from the government that no business would remain open after 4pm.

An official said special teams were formed in all the four divisions of the provincial capital to enforce the new strategy about the lockdown. The teams visited various areas of Peshawar after 4pm and closed the markets and shops. A notification by the provincial government on Friday announced closure of all kind of businesses, including those exempted previously, by 4pm.

Only pharmacies were allowed to operate beyond 4pm. Wearing of facemask for all coming out of homes was also made mandatory in the new order to prevent the spread of corona. “Our people are still on the roads to implement the new policy regarding social distancing,” Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Operations, Zahoor Babar Afridi told The News.

Over 2000 people have been booked in Peshawar so far for violation of lockdown after increase in positive cases of Covid-19 in the city and the country.

The death ratio is higher in Peshawar than other cities. The police have set up a special control room to keep a check on the sealed places as well as people violating the lockdown.

Many in the city are still roaming without wearing facemask. The police will take strict action against those not wearing facemasks in coming days. An increase has been witnessed in cases of coronavirus as well as deaths due to Covid-19 in the last few days.

The official data till late Friday said that 89 people have died from Covid-19 in KP while the number of positive cases has reached 1708. The ratio of deaths of the corona patients is higher in Peshawar. A senior doctor fighting corona on the frontline Dr Mohammad Javed passed away due to Covid-19 on Saturday.

A total of 511 confirmed cases have so far been reported from Peshawar while the number of patients who have died in the city is 44, which makes an alarming 8.6

per cent of the positive cases. Four people who lost lives in KP in last 24 hours were all from Peshawar.

“One reason for higher death rate recorded against Peshawar is a lot of people from other neighbouring districts travel to Peshawar for tertiary care hospitals, and regretfully when mortality happens, it is recorded against Peshawar,” said Deputy Commissioner, Peshawar, Mohammad Ali Asghar.

He added the other reason for higher case load is that foreigners travelling from Middle East, irrespective of which province they belong, arrive at Peshawar airport, and then their tests results are also recorded against Peshawar.­