Peshawar: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government on Friday announced its standard operating procedures (SOPs) requiring people to wear face masks in public, along with a notification allowing businesses and shops to remain open till 4 pm during the month of Ramzan — with the initiative forming part of its ongoing measures implemented to curb the coronavirus spread, according to news sources.
The decision is this regard was made during a meeting of the Provincial Task Force on COVID-19 under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Mehmood Khan.
As per the decisions of the task force meeting, the use of face masks has been made mandatory in all public places in the province — with the people expected to be educated on methods to use these masks to ensure strict enforcement of all preventive measures. The provincial authorities will also closely monitor the implementation of social distancing and other cautionary steps in the businesses exempted from the lockdown. People are advised to not leave their homes without a valid reason.
The official/ modified notification regarding the lockdown states that the exempted businesses will not be allowed to operate after 4 pm — including restaurants and food takeaways. Pharmacies, however, are expected to remain operational on a round-the-clock basis.
Previously, the KP government had issued a comprehensive notification on April 15 that had details about the operational status of different sectors, and SOPs for sectors exempted from the lockdown.
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