Sindh extends lockdown till end of Ramazan

The Sindh government on Thursday extended the ongoing lockdown regime in the province till the end of Ramazan to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

An announcement issued by the Chief Minister House said the validity of the lockdown orders of the home department announced on April 14 and April 23, 2020, had been extended by the government till the end of the holy month.

During the lockdown period, the food and grocery shops are allowed to remain open from 8am to 5pm, and the milk shops can stay open from 8am to 8pm.

The movement of people will not be allowed from 5pm till 8am except in emergency circumstances. The eateries will be allowed to do home delivery service from 5pm till 10pm, and the bakeries will do business till 5pm.

Makeshift stalls of Iftari items will not be allowed during Ramazan; however, home delivery of such food products could be done. The Ehtaram-e-Ramazan Ordinance will remain enforced during this period. The congregational prayers will not be allowed in mosques. Businesses and markets are allowed to sell their products through E-commerce, while selected export-oriented industries

are allowed to operate during the lockdown, that too only after observing the standard operating procedures devised by the Sindh government to ensure social distancing and hygiene at the workplace.

According to the home department, the lockdown orders have been imposed in accordance with the Sindh Epidemic Diseases Act 2014, and all the relevant agencies have been told to strictly implement the directives.

Nasir’s media talk

Talking to media persons on Thursday, Sindh Information Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said there has been no proposal under consideration at present to lift the lockdown in the province.

He stated that nothing was dearer to the Sindh government than the lives of the people living in the province.

The provincial minister claimed that certain elements were behind the false propaganda that the provincial government was going to lift the lockdown in the province and such claims were completely false.

He reiterated that during the lockdown period, the traders had been allowed to sell their products and services directly to their customers only through e-commerce.

He was of the view that Sindh had averted a massive tragedy owing to the timely actions and emergency decisions of the Sindh chief minister. The people of Sindh had fully supported the steps announced by the provincial government against the spread of the COVID-19, he maintained, adding that such support from the public was unprecedented in the history of the province.