Sindh allows takeaway services until 1am daily

KARACHI: The Sindh Home Department has issued a new notification allowing restaurants across the province to run their takeaway services until 1am daily, following which the eateries are to offer only home deliveries during the late-night hours.

According to the government’s notification, restaurants are allowed to offer outdoor dining services until 10pm, followed by takeaway services until 1am, and home deliveries thereafter.

The provincial administration has issued the revised notification in accordance with the authority conferred to it under Section 3(1) of the Sindh Epidemic Diseases Act 2014. The order comes into effect immediately and will remain valid until January 31.

Fifteen days ago the home department had issued an amended notification revising the business hours of retail shops and markets in the province during the ongoing coronavirus emergency.

According to the notification, businesses, commercial centres and markets in the province were allowed to do business six days a week, and all retail shops and markets were allowed to stay open until 8pm.

Retailers and businessmen were asked to keep their businesses shut once a week, either on Fridays or Sundays. Restaurants and other eateries were allowed to do business either by the means of outdoor dining, takeaways or home deliveries until 10pm daily.

Moreover, all administrative departments of the Sindh government were directed to reduce the staff of their offices by 50 per cent on a weekly rotational basis in view of the prevailing coronavirus emergency in the province. All those attending office were told to wear masks during office hours.

A day earlier, relaxing its lockdown order against the spread of the coronavirus after criticism from traders and opposition leaders, the provincial government had granted permission to markets and retail shops to remain open until 8pm daily.

In a tweet government spokesman Barrister Murtaza Wahab had announced the permission and expressed the hope that the market associations, retail store owners and public would ensure compliance with the government-recommended standard operating procedures (SOPs) against the spread of the coronavirus.

He had said the provincial government would monitor as to what extent the anti-coronavirus SOPs were being observed. He said that every citizen, including retailers and shoppers, was under an obligation to wear a mask during business hours of the markets.

Traders and retailers had been demanding an extension in their daily business hours beyond 6pm by amending the latest lockdown order of the provincial government.