As recorded deaths from coronavirus fell sharply post July throughout Pakistan, it left the entire world’s health experts kind of perplexed. A recent report in a British newspaper put it down to a “young population, robust immune systems and a system of localised ‘smart’ lockdowns” but was quick to add that the reasons “remain unclear.” In this situation, it is fair on the part of the government to allow all public places — be it cinema houses, marketplaces, restaurants, museums or parks — to reopen, albeit with certain safety/precautionary protocols that must be observed.

For the common Lahoris who aren’t used to staying indoors or confined, this has meant a huge relief. No sooner did the government make the happy announcement, the people poured out into the likes of the Lahore Zoo, Model Town Park, and even the Lahore Museum. The markets and shopping malls are populated all over again — though these were the first to attract crowds, the minute the lockdown was eased, earlier pre-Eid ul Fitr.