In This Post:
Lockdown Gets Lifted in Pakistan
Latest Updates on the Lockdown in Pakistan
How to Stay Safe after Lockdown is Eased?
Protocols for Travelling
Protocols before Entering Home
Update (16th May 2020): Monday,11th May 2020, saw markets and commercial activities across the country slowly resume [as per the federal government’s orders] for the first time in over a month as the nationwide lockdown was eased. Scroll down to find out more about the outcome of the government’s announcement.
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Update (15th April 2020): On Wednesday, the Sindh Government issued a public notification and eased the lockdown to a certain extent. The Punjab government, on the other hand, has also recommended severe measures to ensure that the businesses allowed to operate are taking all the necessary protocols to save their people from COVID-19. As per the notifications issued by both governments, a few institutions have been granted exemptions under particular conditions.
Scroll down or click latest updates to know more about the ease in lockdown in Pakistan and find out more about the terms and the list of businesses allowed to resume their operations.
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A lot of people are wondering about the measures they should take as precautions after the lockdown is eased across Pakistan. However, the most important one is to not let your guard down and be careless when it comes to meeting and interacting with people and your personal hygiene.
The Coronavirus – declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organisation – continues to spread rapidly, and almost the entire world has been infected. Many countries around the world, including Pakistan, ordered a nationwide lockdown of economic, educational, and social activities to minimise the reach of the virus. While the lockdown has been quite effective, some countries have already started normal day-to-day activities to resume. Hence, many people are searching for ways to be safe from the Coronavirus once they step outside their safe zones or homes.
We had previously shared some effective measures to stay safe from Coronavirus at home during the lockdown. This blog is, however, focused on precautionary measures to take after the lockdown is lifted, and how to stay safe on the streets.
List of Precautions after the Lockdown is Eased in Pakistan
What will happen after the lockdown? If you are wondering about it, then you are not alone. Many of us are thinking on the same lines. While the virus hasn’t completely vanished from the world, some countries, including Wuhan, the former epicentre of the disease, have shown progress and started to ease the lockdown.
Although life after lockdown will be a bit askew around the globe, there are certain precautionary measures you must take to avoid getting sick and help save others around you. Here’s our compilation of some crucial preventive measures to take after the lockdown is lifted or eased in Pakistan:
- Mind the Distance
- Stick to No-Touch Policy
- Wash and Disinfect
- Regular Check-Ups
- Respiratory Precautions
- Stay Informed
Mind the Distance
We understand that the excitement for the lockdown to get eased might be too much to handle, and most of us cannot really wait to hug our best friends or have tea with our favourite colleagues. Some of us have already planned a feast for our family members, while others are waiting for due treats. No matter what your plans for socialising are – they can wait, everything can wait, including life.
A great way to take care of yourself after the lockdown is completely lifted or eased is to avoid going to large group events and maintain all the protocols of social distancing. As such, you should keep at least 3 feet to 6 feet distance between yourself and the people you are interacting with. It doesn’t matter if you are shopping, travelling, waiting in a queue, or just sitting in the office – mind the distance. As part of the precautions to take after the lockdown is completely lifted, here are a few practices for social distancing:
- Do not attend social events or parties.
- Use online portals for shopping and everything else.
- Avoid going to stores, marts, or any places that aren’t adequately following the precautionary measures.
- Disinfect your house every three days if more members of the house are going out.
- Change your clothes and disinfect yourself immediately if you have been outside.
- Use online mediums for payment or go completely cashless. Not sure how to do that? Take help from our post on online payment services in Pakistan.
For further assistance, you can navigate to our guide on social distancing.
Stick to No-Touch Policy
The no-touch policy will apply even after the lockdown is eased. It will still be the most important protocol to keep yourself safe from the Coronavirus. According to public health experts, the virus needs a physical surface for transmission. As such, hard surfaces or objects, including doorknobs, hand-rails, and elevators, are potential carriers of the disease. Similarly, if you have been outside for a while, avoid touching your face, especially your mouth, nose, and eyes.
The best way to take additional measures after the lockdown is over is to protect yourself by continuing to wear a face mask and gloves. If you are using surgical masks and gloves, it is important that you follow the required measures and immediately discard them after one use. We have also shared the method of making a fabric face mask at home that you can wash and easily re-use.
Wash and Disinfect
The current global pandemic is only transmitted via interactions of two kinds: human-to-human or human to contaminated objects. We have mentioned it earlier, but we’ll repeat it to emphasise its importance – wash your hands and disinfect the high-touched areas in your home regularly. According to the World Health Organisation, keeping your hands clean and washing them properly with soap and water is the only prevention that works best for everyone.
Once the lockdown is lifted and you have finally started coming back to your routine, here are few things that you should keep in mind:
- Wash your hands frequently, after every 2-3 hours to be exact. Keep washing as long as one can sing “Happy Birthday” twice.
- Use antibacterial soap and clean water to wash your hands.
- Dry your hands with a clean towel after washing.
- Keep a hand rub with yourself in case you are using public transport and disinfect your hands as soon as you come in contact with other objects.
Moreover, disinfecting your living space, office, and car are also important parts of precautions after the lockdown is eased in Pakistan. You can take help from our recently published blog on ways to disinfect your house using bleach. Just be extremely careful while handling the chemical and keep it away from the reach of children and pets.
Regular Check-Ups
You can easily keep the virus at bay by keeping track of your health and following all the measures mentioned in this blog. Once the lockdown is over, you should visit a doctor for regular check-ups or conduct a self-diagnosis if you are showing the following symptoms:
- Fever
- Dry Cough
- Difficulty in breathing
- Sore throat
- Unusual Fatigue or Tiredness
Remember that the incubation period for the disease is around 2 to 14 days, and the symptoms mentioned above will appear after it. These symptoms can either be mild or extreme, and it varies in different cases. Some people have also reported diarrhoea, pneumonia, nausea, and runny nose.
Respiratory Precautions
As a part of precautions after the lockdown is lifted, you need to remember only that some restrictions over life activities are over, but we are still prone to get infected by the Coronavirus since it still exists. As such, you need to follow good respiratory precautions to protect yourself against COVID-19 disease.
Just like we mentioned earlier, you must wear a mask to cover your mouth and nose, even if you are not sick. If you have a habit of smoking, you should give it up or minimise it to follow good respiratory practices. Or at least give up smoking in public places so that others around you don’t get triggered or harmed.
Stay Informed
Even after the lockdown is lifted or eased, you need to be extra careful and stay informed by subscribing to our updates on the Coronavirus. As a part of precautions after lockdown is lifted, you must act extremely responsible by only believing what you read on official websites and verify the information before you pass it on to others.
The general rule for disseminating anything you see on the internet is to double-check it first. All you need to do is to visit the authorised websites such as the World Health Organisation, the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), or any state-owned websites to double-down on the information about the Coronavirus.
Travelling Protocols After Lockdown is Eased
No matter how tempted you are to go on that summer trip that got cancelled due to the current virus outbreak, our advice for you is to delay it until you get a go-ahead from the government authorities. Limit your intra-city travelling as well. If you are travelling for work or under any obligation, you can take help from our guide on travelling during a viral pandemic.
Remember, one act of carelessness can cause trouble for a lot of people around you, including your loved ones. The government of Pakistan is struggling to combat the Coronavirus, and you need to act sensibly to help it eradicate this plague from the society. Make sure you are adhering to all government orders and not going to restricted areas such as malls, restaurants, cinemas, parks, or any public spaces.
On a side note, if you or anyone you know is showing symptoms of the current global pandemic, we advise you to immediately inform the state authorities by calling on the helpline for the Coronavirus pandemic in Pakistan:
Contact Number: 1166
Protocols before Entering the House
The current situation of the Coronavirus in Pakistan is the true example of an old adage – precaution is better than cure. The number of infected people in the country is increasing day-by-day, and people around the globe are struggling to keep themselves and their loved ones safe from this deadly plague. If you are going out for work or are under any obligation, here’s a list of few protocols to follow before entering the house. Continue to follow them even after the lockdown is eased:
- Wear gloves and a mask before leaving the house.
- Use a tissue to open doorknobs when entering the house.
- Do not hug or shake hands with anyone inside the house.
- Avoid any kind of contact with people or objects at home until you disinfect yourself.
- Leave your keys, wallet, mobile phone, and laptop bag at the doorstep. Leave anything that you’ve been carrying outside at the door.
- Disinfect all these items with disinfectant sprays and wipe them with tissues. Immediately discard the tissue.
- Discard the mask and gloves you have been wearing outside.
- Change your clothes immediately and keep the used ones aside – away from regular laundry.
- Take a proper bath using antibacterial soap and shampoo, and wash all exposed areas deeply.
Latest Updates on the Lockdown in Pakistan
As mentioned earlier, the home department of the Sindh Government has issued a public notification announcing that select institutions across the province have been granted approval to operate their delivery services under specific conditions. The conditions read:
- All staff must wear protective gear, including masks and gloves.
- Vendors and riders must maintain all the protocols of social distancing.
- All other services, besides delivery, are still banned.
- Restaurants are only allowed to deliver uncooked food.
- Delivery of essential goods and items such as medicines, medical equipment, uncooked groceries, and pre-packaged food items are allowed. Letters, bank documents, prepaid, and other top-up services are also allowed to operate.
Further, courier services, including TCS, Cheetay, Call Courier, DHL, FedEx, and other such institutions have been allowed to resume their operations across the province. A few food delivery services such as Foodpanda, Careem NOW, and Eat Mubarak have also been granted approval to operate under certain conditions. Meanwhile, online pharmaceutical services have also been allowed to deliver medicines.
For further details, refer to the Sindh Government’s notification below:
Similarly, the health department of the Punjab government has issued a notification to extend the lockdown until 25th April 2020. However, some businesses have been issued special permission in the province under certain conditions. According to the notification issued by the health department of Punjab government:
- All stores are strictly advised to follow the protocols of social distancing.
- Supermarkets will only keep their grocery and medicine aisles operational.
- Customers are allowed to enter the stores in small groups while maintaining strict social distancing.
- All operational stores will ensure that their premises are disinfected regularly.
Additionally, grocery stores, departmental stores, vendors, bakeries and other such stores are allowed to operate from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM across the country and are strictly advised to follow all the protocols of social distancing. Milk shops and poultry shops in Punjab have been permitted to operate from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Meanwhile, gas stations, auto-parts shops, medical services, pharmacies, printing presses, takeaway, and home delivery services have been allowed to operate beyond 8:00 PM in Punjab.
For the list of operational services and further clarifications, look at the tweet posted by the Punjab government below:
Lockdown Lifts in all Provinces of Pakistan
Last week, the Government of Pakistan decided to ease the lockdown across the country and gave the go-ahead to various industries to resume their daily operations without any restrictions from police and law agencies. The shopkeepers and public are, however, advised to follow all the SOPs and safety guidelines provided by the government and the WHO.
On the other hand, public transport remains closed, while industrial units, workplaces, shops, and shopping malls have been allowed to recommence their operations. Restrictions on religious activities and large groups were lifted soon after the arrival of Ramadan.
Commenting on the government’s decision to lift the lockdown across the country, Pakistan’s Premier Imran Khan said, “We know we’re doing it at a time when the curve [of infected people] is going up, but it is not increasing [as rapidly] as we were expecting.” On the same occasion, he also said that the virus could run out of control if people did not take precautions while going out for their necessities.
Many areas in Karachi have recorded jam-packed traffic, while cities like Lahore and Quetta witnessed huge crowds of people in their commercial centres. Experts have indicated that the crowd is most likely to increase in the upcoming week due to Eid-Ul-Fitr, increasing the probability of more cases of COVID-19.
This wraps up our post on the list of precautions after lockdown is lifted. These tips can come handy even after the lockdown is eased in some parts of Pakistan. Tell us what you are going to do after the lockdown is lifted by writing to us at blog@zameen.com. Before we sign out, we would like to tell you that the number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan is rising, and the government is taking every measure to prevent the virus from spreading further. The nationwide lockdown was announced a few weeks ago as part of the government’s measures to curb the spread of the virus. According to public health experts, the strategy to pause regular life events of people has proved to be incredibly helpful.
Meanwhile, other such measures are underway. You can also help the government by acting as a responsible citizen and following all the measures that we have mentioned in this blog. In this time of global crisis, all you have to do is to act sensibly to stay safe!
For informative posts on the current viral pandemic, keep visiting Zameen Blog – Pakistan’s #1 portal for reliable information. We will keep you posted with when the lockdown will end in Pakistan and other such updates. Get all the updates delivered to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletter.
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Disclaimer: All the information in this blog has been collected from trusted sources such as the World Health Organisation, John Hopkins, and a few national news portals. Zameen.com doesn’t take responsibility in case the information on the website alters or changes with time. However, we commit to updating the blog with the latest information. The precautions mentioned in this blog have been extracted from the earlier mentioned sources, and we do not guarantee that these precautions will help you remain safe from the disease.
