Sindh Minister for Information Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has said that in accordance with the decisions of the National Coordination Committee, all the businesses which had been decided to be opened would be opened in Sindh province from Monday.

The provincial information minister said that all these business activities would be allowed to operate under specific guidelines and standard operating procedures.

"Any businessmen who do not fully comply with the guidelines or the standard operating procedures will not be allowed to do business," he said. "If we are not careful, the situation will get worse," the provincial information minister said.

Syed Nasir Hussain Shah added that although the National Coordination Committee had yet not given permission to open big markets, shopping malls and large department stores, yet the Sindh government would consult with the federal government and the provinces in this regard.

The provincial information minister said that the Sindh government was bound by the decision of the apex court, in which the Supreme Court had asked all the provinces and the federation to adopt a uniform policy to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

He said that the Sindh government ministers met with leaders of business organizations. Nasir Shah said that the leaders of the business community had been assured that the businesses which had been allowed to open by the National Coordination Committee would be opened from Monday.

The provincial minister said that the federal government would also be informed about the problems of the business community. Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that now it was very difficult to say how long the coronavirus pandemic would last and to what extent it would spread.

"According to the decision of the federal government, if the pandemic starts spreading rapidly, we will have to go for complete lockdown again," the minister said. "There is no doubt that reviving business activity is important, but more important is saving lives," he said.

Nasir Shah said that in order to improve the economic situation and keep the unemployment rate to a minimum, the Sindh government had already allowed a number of industries to operate under the standard operating procedure.