Daily Times

The Punjab government on Sunday allowed cinemas and theatres to reopen from today (Monday), with strict enforcement of standard operating procedures (SOPs).

A notification has been issued by Punjab Primary and Secondary Health Department in this regard. The primary & secondary health department has also issued SOPs under the instructions of Punjab govt. In order to maintain social distancing, 6-foot distance has been made mandatory in the cinemas and theaters. No customer will be allowed to enter the restaurants without masks.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Sunday also decided to reopen restaurants, gyms and all other business activities in the province from Monday, August 10, as proposed by the National Coordination Committee.

According to a KP Home Department, all restaurants will be allowed to reopen from Monday, while marriage halls and schools will remain closed across the province. All types of public transport will be resumed from today, whereas, for holding religious activities, permission must be obtained from concerned administration, according to a home department statement. The KP govt has decided to reopen businesses in light of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) decisions.

Meanwhile, thousands of tourists from across the country thronged to Galyat, Thandyani, Kaghan, Naran and Shugran as the government opened the tourism sector. The tourism industry besides other sectors were closed to contain COVID-19 pandemic surged in the country in March 2020.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government yesterday had formally opened the tourism sector including archaeological and cultural tourism under standard operating procedures (SOPs) across the province.

Earlier on August 6, Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar had announced to reopen dine-in restaurants, cafes, cinemas and gyms from August 10 after a closure of nearly five months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Also, as coronavirus cases continue to decline across the country and Pakistan moves towards reopening various sectors, the Balochistan government on Sunday lifted the restrictions it had placed on businesses in the wake of the pandemic.

According to the notification, the provincial government has lifted timing restrictions placed on shops, stores and markets in the province. Authorities also decided to lift the one-day smart lockdown imposed on Fridays throughout the province.

Earlier this week, the Balochistan government had extended the imposed coronavirus lockdown till August 17. As per the conditions of the lockdown, shopping malls, markets, and stores were allowed by the provincial government to remain open from 9am-7pm, while general stores, medical stores, and others, selling necessary commodities were allowed to remain open 24/7.