ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Thursday ordered all major markets and shopping malls in the country to be shut down after government-set rules to curb coronavirus spread were widely flouted.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) for Political Communication, Shahbaz Gill, announced the decision after a meeting of the National Command and Control Center (NCOC), which took stock of the pandemic situation in the country and violation of the Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) laid down as prerequisites to easing of lockdown restrictions.
“An operation has been started in Punjab and KP (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). We'll all have to follow the SoPs,” Gill said in a Twitter post later in the day.
NCOC کے فیصلوں کے تناظر میں لاک ڈاؤن کی SOP فالو نہ کرنے پر پورے ملک میں کئی بڑی مارکیٹیں آج بند کر دی جائیں گی۔ پنجاب اور کے پی کے میں آپریشن شروع کر دیا گیا ہے۔ ہم سب کو ہر صورت SOPs فالو کرنے ہوں گے۔
— Dr. Shahbaz GiLL (@SHABAZGIL) June 4, 2020
On Wednesday, the country's Information Minister, Shibli Faraz, had also warned of re-imposition of the lockdown if people did not adhere to government's SOPs.
“Majority of the people are not adopting precautionary measures,” he said during a press conference in Islamabad.
Pakistan's national virus tally jumped to 85,264 on Thursday with 4,688 new infections reported in 24 hours and 82 deaths marking highest one-day record for COVID-19 fatalities.
Last month, Prime Minister Imran Khan eased the restrictions to help the under privileged segments of the society earn their livelihood. However, public places, markets and general transport services saw widespread disregard for social distancing, forcing the premier to warn the nation of a spike in virus infections and fatalities in a televised address on Monday.
