ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s interior ministry announced on Tuesday it would impose fresh restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, including a complete ban on tourism and travel during the Islamic festival of Eid Al-Fitr next month that marks the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
The May 8-16 period specified in the interior ministry document covers Eid holidays, in which a large number of people travel from one city to another to spend the holiday with their loved ones. Many people travel to tourist spots with their families and friends on the occasion.
The ministry said in a circular there would be a “complete ban on tourism” from May 8-16 and “tourist resorts, public parks and hotels in and around traditional tourist spots” would remain closed. Inter-provincial and inter-city travel would also not be allowed during the holidays.
The interior ministry circular announced that the government would issue new health safety guidelines for those who spend more time in mosques during the last days of Ramadan and attend prayer congregations at on Eid day.
Pakistan is currently grappling with a third wave of the pandemic, reporting 4,487 new coronavirus infections and 142 related deaths in the last 24 hours. Only two millions people have been vaccinated in a country of 220 million.
In a press conference on Tuesday, education minister Shafqat Mahmood said because of a sharp rise in coronavirus cases, all stakeholders had unanimously decided to cancel all exams until June 15, after which the situation would be reassessed and exams rescheduled.
“O’ level exams will happen in October-November cycle; similarly A’ and AS level exams will also be in October-November cycle,” the minister announced.
“A few A’ level students who can’t postpone exams beyond September ... for their ease, they will be allowed to take exams now,” he added. “In a collective spirit, we have taken the best decision for the children given the prevailing circumstances.”
On Saturday, Pakistani health chief Dr. Faisal Sultan said there was a fifty percent chance the government would impose complete lockdowns in major Pakistani cities due to rising coronavirus cases, adding that opting for wider restrictions would only be beneficial if they were imposed before the Eid Al-Fit holiday.
Speaking in an interview to a local news channel, when asked if Pakistan was headed toward a “complete lockdown” in major cities, Sultan said the government would assess over the next “two to four days” if strictness in imposing existing restrictions bore fruit.
“If we can see a clear direction then it’s okay, but if that doesn’t happen, then in parallel we are preparing that the cities in which percentage positivity is high, there we will have to impose further restrictions or what we call lockdown ... And we are preparing for it.”
When asked how close the government was to imposing complete lockdowns in major cities, the health adviser said:
““If we look at the existing situation then there is absolutely a 50% chance ... This is an estimation but I believe that there is at least a 50% chance that if things are not clear in the next few days, we will have to maybe go toward lockdown.”
When asked if the government would try to restrict that “mass migratory movement” before Eid, Sultan said:
“Yes absolutely … if you want to get the most benefit from it [complete lockdown], it has to be at a time when movement is the most or there is a chance of movement. So it has to be, naturally, if you have to put restrictions of this nature [complete lockdown], then it has to be before Eid to have benefits; after [Eid] won’t have any benefit.”
