Sindh govt announces relaxation in anti-virus lockdown from today

KARACHI: The Sindh government on Sunday granted permission to neighbourhood shops, community and small markets to reopen from Monday (today) as the anti-coronavirus lockdown in the province is being relaxed.

The relaxation in the lockdown measures and permission granted to shops to reopen was announced by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah after meeting representatives of associations of small traders in the city here at the Sindh Assembly building’s auditorium.

The shops have been granted permission to reopen under a set of standard operating procedures. The rest of the lockdown measures will continue to be enforced in the province till 31st May, 2020. The Sindh government’s Home Department has issued a notification to this effect. The relaxation in the lockdown measures will benefit the construction sector, factories, and shops.

The retail shops will be allowed to do business from 6am till 4pm from Monday and Thursday. There will be 100 per cent lockdown in the province on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays in the province except for the businesses and shops providing essential services, including selling of grocery, food, and milk items.

The construction related industry and businesses is also allowed to reopen that is related to construction of pipe mills (PVC and steel), electrical cable and switchgear manufacturing, steel/aluminium manufacturing including re-rolling mills, ceramic, manufacturing, paint factories, carpenter/furniture shops, real estate, retail shops related to construction manufacturing.

While meeting the traders on Sunday, the Sindh CM said that construction industries and community markets/retail outlets, shops in rural areas, neighbourhood shops located in residential localities will be operated from 6am to 4pm.

The chief minister said that the sectors that would continue to remain closed were all industries/businesses not cleared for opening till May 9, shopping malls, plazas, educational institutions, offices that were not cleared for opening till May 9, restaurants, hotels, marquees, marriage halls, cinemas and places of large gatherings, public processions, gatherings, congregations of all nature and organized sports events and concerts. Also, barber shops, beauty parlours, hair cutting salons/spas, game centres, video games, Dabbu Carrum, pools, game shops, gyms, café, sit-in eatery, social clubs and parks will also remain closed.

The traders appreciated the chief minister and received the announcement with claps and cheers.

The chief minister told the small traders that he was talking to the federal government so that he could offer them small loans for payment of salaries to their employees and to meet their other expenditures. “We are working on a plan to steer the business community out of the crisis,” he assured the traders. He said that he was well aware that the small traders were passing through a very serious situation because their businesses had been closed down due to the coronavirus epidemic. “I know your [traders] position, but I had one option either to save life of our people or allow the business activities thriving at the cost of our lives,” he said and added he chose to save lives of the people at the cost of business activities. He went on saying that the lockdown had produced good results, which was also acknowledged by the traders community.

Murad Shah said that it was not his unilateral decision to impose the lockdown but the decision was taken with collective wisdom. “The prime minister had chaired a meeting to discuss the post May 9 situation (when the lockdown was ending) so that lockdown could be eased off,” he said and added the prime minister’s meeting was attended by all the chief ministers and prime minister of AJK and chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan in which he had opposed two proposals: opening of public transport, including train, and air traffic and [proposal] to allow business activities from 8pm to 12am. “I am grateful to the federal government that they accepted my request and announced opening of business activities, except shopping malls, plazas, hotels and restaurants from 6am to 5pm,” he said.

“Now a criticism of political nature has been unleashed against me just to give an impression that it is only the Sindh government which has closed down the business activities in the province,” he said and added they (the opposition) are not only criticizing him but actually in naivety they are raising the finger of accusation against their own government in the Centre. The chief minister said that he was grateful to the traders’ community who strengthened his government in implementing the lockdown. “You have kept your business activities closed for two months – therefore you have been affected badly but we have to find out a new way of life of living with this virus,” he said.