The Punjab government has decided to impose ban on all kinds of public transport coming from Sindh to Punjab, however, entry of goods transport will continue till further orders.
According to a notification of the Services and General Administration, it has also been decided to hold all kinds of official meetings through video link, Skype calls and online. Only skeleton staff will be allowed to attend the government offices whereas the remaining officials will work online through Skype from their residences.
These orders were issued by Chief Secretary Punjab Azam Suleman Khan while presiding over a meeting, to review steps being taken to prevent coronavirus. The CS directed the concerned officers to ensure uninterrupted supply of daily-use items and check hoarding. He directed that there would be a complete ban on holding of wedding or other ceremonies in farmhouses.
Entry of general public in government offices has been suspended in view of their own protection and social distancing, however, all administrative secretaries, divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners, and heads of attached departments would notify, in press, two landline numbers and one mobile number for contact of general public during office hours.
These numbers would also be displayed prominently outside offices at entry gates and officers of grade 17 and 18 would be deputed to attend calls on these numbers so that people could not face any problem in resolution of their problems, he added. The Chief Secretary also directed commissioners and deputy commissioners to prepare lists of family members of the persons being kept in quarantine and provide food hampers to families in case their bread earners are quarantined.
He also issued instructions to administrative officers to contact owners of private hospitals and hotels for establishing more isolation rooms in these buildings.
It was also decided that desks would be set up for public outside offices of SHOs in police stations and police khidmat centres would remain closed till further orders. People can lodge their complaints with these desks instead of visiting the office in police station. The meeting also took decision to close all public parks and recreational places in the province.
All deputy commissioners of the province were asked to carry out mapping of hostels in their districts so that quarantine facility could be provided at these buildings in case of emergency.
The meeting also decided tracking of those passengers arrived from China, Saudi Arab, Iran and other corona virus-hit countries and ensuring availability of sufficient quantity of sanitizers and soaps/ hand wash at opened offices, banks, shopping malls for hand washing during operational hours.
The meeting was attended by Senior Member Board of Revenue, Additional Chief Secretary Home, IG Punjab, administrative secretaries of different departments, and officers of Special Branch and other law-enforcing agencies.