Sindh goes into 15-day lockdown

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, in order to contain and curb further spread of coronavirus, on Sunday announced that the province would undergo a lockdown after midnight last night for the next 15 days. "I have no option but to save people of Sindh from this endemic," He took this decision just after presiding over different meetings of his government teams and with the opposition parties.
The chief minister in his video message and press statement released from the CM House said that the chief minister has imposed lockdown all over Sindh right from tonight for next 15 days. The chief minister said that he was announcing lockdown in consultation with all political parties, within and out of parliament, ulema and people of other walks of life. "The local transmission cases are spreading and we have to contain them, otherwise everything will go out of control," he said.
He said that from tonight (12am) onward for 15 days, all the offices, gathering places, public transport and bus stands would remain closed. "Nobody will be allowed to come out of his home unnecessarily for which I have given clear instructions to the law enforcement agencies and the administration," he said.
Shah categorically said that the people who have to go to hospital would be allowed but the vehicle carrying them would have only three persons, driver, the patient and one attendant and they should have their CNIC. He also said that during the relaxation time of the lockdown, to be announced by the government, only one person would be allowed to go to market/shop. In case of using vehicle, only two persons would be allowed, the driver and the person going for shopping.
Shah said that the people involved in hoarding and artificial price hike would be taken to task. "We have arranged special teams to check the artificial price and hoarding issue," he said and added "the supply chair of food, including vegetables, meat and others goods will be ensured."
CM takes parties into confidence: The chief minister before announcing imposition of complete lockdown took leaders of different political parties into confidence. He briefed them about the prevailing situation and the decision has been taken to impose complete lockdown. The political leaders who attended the chief minister's meeting, include Zubair Ahmed of PML-N, Firdous Shahmim Naqvi and Haleem Adil of PTI, Mohammad Younis Soomro of PTL, Amir Khan and Kishwar Zahar of MQM, Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman of Jamaat-e-Islami, Nand Kumar and Shaharyar Maher of GDA, MPA Rasheed, M Aslam Ghori of JUI(F) and others.
He directed all utility service agencies to suspend their billing for lowest users for this month and then start recoveries in easy instalments during the next 10 months.
He directed K-Electric, Hesco and Sepco to suspend recovery of powers bills of those consumers whose bills would be upto Rs 4000 for this month and then start recoveries in 10 monthly easy instalments. Similarly, he said the SSGC authorities would follow the suit and their thresh hold of gas bill has been kept at Rs 2000.
He also directed power distribution companies, phone and mobile companies, water supply and sanitation institutions to continue their services uninterrupted and there would be no disconnection of any connection.
The chief minister also directed the landlords not to collect rent of their properties from their tenants for this month and then collect the same in easy instalments. He also urged the employers to pay full salaries to their daily wagers so that they could meet their square meals at this difficult situation.
Shah said that the wings of political parties, religious parties and philanthropists would keep supporting poor people by giving them ration. "The Sindh government will also ensure provision of ration or cash to the poor people and daily wagers," he said.
The chief minister said the Sindh government was making its Twitter and Facebook Accounts where all government instructions, notifications and necessary guidelines would be posted. The twitter and Facebook accounts would be shared with the media.
The chief minister said that the decision has been taken with collective wisdom and in the supreme interest of people of Sindh, therefore, everyone living in the province would have to cooperate. "Your defiance is bound to fail the entire process," he said.
Meanwhile, Sindh Minister for Information, Local Government, Housing & Town Planning, Religious Affairs, Forest & Wildlife Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has said that in order to control the spread of novel coronavirus there would be complete lockdown for 15 days in Sindh from midnight i.e. 12:00 am Monday. Provincial Minister for Information said that this tough decision was taken after reviewing the complete situation evolving after the spread of coronavirus.
He said this while briefing the journalists at the conclusion of an important meeting presided over by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah. All the cabinet members including ministers, advisers, special coordinators to Sindh Chief Minister, Chief Secretary Sindh, Director General Rangers, Sindh, Brigadier Waseem of Core V, inspector General Police, Sindh, Additional Inspector General, concerned officers of provincial disaster management and all other relevant officers were present during the meeting.
Information Minister told that the coronavirus had transmitted locally in 80 people in Karachi. Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that people should not call it curfew but instead they should consider it as "Care for You".
He said that Sindh CM was of the opinion that the government should adopt every possible measure that could be beneficial for the health and security of the people. He said that after the lockdown no one would be allowed to leave his home unless facing an unavoidable situation. Only the patients would be allowed to visit the hospital and that too with only one person and with the permission of the security officials.
He said that the availability of basic utilities including water, electricity and gas would be ensured. While briefing further about the decision taken during the meeting he said that all the people had been exempted to pay their electricity and gas bills if the bills didn't exceed more than 4000, and 2000 respectively. He said that the supply of electricity to those who could not pay their current bills would not be disconnected.
Nasir Hussain Shah further said that action would be taken against whosoever stockpiled the essential food items and those who sold essential items on high prices. Provincial Minister for Information said that during the lockdown every type of gathering had been banned. The seminaries and other worship places would be closed, he added. The Minister said that all the educational institutes, shopping malls, public parks and government offices had already been closed in the province.
He appealed to the people to follow whatever decisions being taken by the Sindh government as all these decisions were taken in complete favour of them. However, restaurants would be allowed to offer home delivery service and grocery, milk, fish, chicken, meat and vegetable shops/stalls would remain open as usual, the minister added.
He said that the chief minister had also decided to establish Coronavirus Relief Fund of Rs 3 billion to which he would donate his one-month salary. The Sindh cabinet members, advisers and special assistants to the CM, Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, IG Sindh Mushtaq Mahar, Chairman of Planning and Development Board Mohammad Waseem and Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar had also announced that they would donate their one-month salary to the fund.
Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said, "We won't be uncertain in doing what we must to control the spread of the virus. We are putting health of the people first." He added that CM Syed Murad Ali Shah said that he understood that people might find the actions taken by the government as inconvenient and difficult to perform their daily routine but this was necessary to curb the spread of Covid-19 that might cost innocent lives of the people of the province.
INP adds: Sindh home department on Sunday released a notification for the imposition of a complete ban on public movement, social and religious gatherings across the province under Sindh Epidemic Diseases Act 2014 in view of the increase in the number of coronavirus cases.
The violation of the government orders will be considered as an offence punishable under section 188 of the Pakistan Penal code as provided under Section 4 of the said Sindh Epidemic Diseases Act 2014, the notification read.
Following the imposition of the lockdown, the movement of people including intercity or interprovincial travel, gathering of any kind for social, religious and any other purpose at any public or private place will remain banned for the next 15 days within the territorial limits of the province.
The violators will face prison and fines over defying the regulations announced by the authorities. The government has also restricted crowd in funeral prayers as only close relatives will be given permission to attend the final ceremony of their beloved ones in case of the person's death.
The law defines that the people will have to take permission from the station house office (SHO) of a local police station for organising funeral prayers, whereas, those persons attending the funeral prayers will maintain a distance of at least 1 metre (3 feet) from each other. The persons associated with law enforcement agencies, hospitals, laboratories, media, social workers, port, medical stores and other essential services will be exempted from the restrictions under the lockdown.