Business centres to remain open today: Sindh govt orders closure of shops including grocery stores at 6pm

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Thursday decided to close all the shops, including groceries after 6pm, and said that the restaurants would not be allowed to offer takeaway facility after Iftar, however, they would be allowed to offer home delivery service.

“We would further tighten enforcement of SOPs after Sunday and close Hawksbay, Sea View and such other recreational facilities for visitors,” he told a meeting held at CM House. The meeting was also attended by provincial ministers, Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, Nasir Shah, Saeed Ghani, Advisor Law Murtaza Wahab, Parliamentary Secretary Qasim Siraj Soomro, Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, IGP Sindh Mushtaq Maher, PSCM Sajid Jamal Abro, ACS Home Usman Chachar, Secretary Education Ahmed Bux Narejo, Secretary Finance Hassan Naqvi, Secretary Health Kazim Jatoi, Dr Bari, Dr Faisal, Dr Qaiser Sajjad, representatives of Corps-5, Rangers, WHO and other relevant officers.

The meeting was told that the new Covid-19 cases were on the increase in Karachi where detection ratio had been recorded at 14.32 percent which was quite dangerous. Now, Hyderabad has started showing decline in its new cases. Hyderabad which has a ratio of 20 percent on April 29 has shown 11.92 percent on May 5.

The meeting was told that in April, 154 patients had died and in May so far Covid-19 has claimed 33 lives. It was observed that people were not following SOPs. On May 5, 627 people were challaned and Rs1276.500 million fine was recovered in the city. The district administration of Karachi sealed 64 shops, arrested seven persons and warned 369. “People do not understand the situation,” the chief minister said.

The chief minister on the advice of the experts and members of the task force decided that from Friday, all shops, including grocery stores, would be closed after 6pm. The restaurants would not offer takeaway service after Iftar, but they would be allowed to offer home delivery service.

He decided that after Sunday, more strict measures would be taken to keep the people of the province within their homes. “One should go out with valid reasons but with precautions,” he said. The chief minister directed the health department to start giving vaccines to private hospitals with the direction to administer free of cost.

The meeting proposed the chief minister to talk to the federal government to ban passenger train services for the days of Eid holidays. This would help to stop further spread of the virus.

Minister Health Dr Azra Fazal and Secretary Health Kazim Jatoi told the meeting that on the instructions of the chief minister, quarantine facilities at local hotels were being revived. Testing facilities all over Sindh are also being enhanced, she said and added import of small-scale oxygen generation plants was in progress.

The meeting was told that during the last 24 hours, 1,239 passengers arrived at Jinnah terminal, of them five were diagnosed positive when tested. They have been quarantined.

Reviewing the status of critical care beds, it was disclosed that out of 647 ICU beds, only 55 were occupied and 167 were vacant. Similarly, out of 1796 HDU beds, 394 were occupied.

The chief minister directed the district administration and the police to enforce SOPs properly.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021