Sindh changes market timings, closure days as Covid-19 cases increase

KARACHI: The Sindh Home Department issued new directives regarding the markets and trade centres for their timings and closure days on Friday.
The directives issued by the Sindh home department impose new restrictions in a bid to curb the coronavirus which will be made effective till May 16.
Under the new instructions, trade activities will be completely closed on Saturday and Sunday, whereas the timing of the markets and trade centres were also changed. The markets and trade centres will be allowed to remain open till 6:00 pm. However, the shops selling essential commodities will be exempted from the restrictions.
All kinds of political, cultural, social and sports activities will be banned, as well as restaurants will be restricted to provide indoor dining facilities. Outdoor food facilities will be allowed from Iftar timing till 12:00 midnight.
After 12:00 midnight, restaurants and food shops will be allowed to continue home delivery and take away facilities. The home department asked mosque administration to organise Taraweeh gatherings in open areas. The committees comprising representatives of local administration and clerics will implement the regulations.
Shrines, dargahs will be completely closed, whereas indoor and outdoor events will be completely banned.
Inter-provincial transport services will also be closed on Saturday and Sunday, the notification read.
Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Friday said in a daily Covid briefing that the province has conceded 561 new infections in the 24-hour period of testing with three casualties.
In the past 24 hours period, the CM said that 11,623 tests were conducted throughout the province out of which 561 were diagnosed as Covid positive. On the same day, the briefing noted that 404 previously infected patients posted recovery from the virus in the province which means so far 259,792 have recovered across Sindh after the virus.
With three new deaths reported today, the total Covid deaths for the province reached 4,544, CM Murad confirmed in his briefings.
It may be noted that out of total 561 cases of Sindh, 278 (or almost 50 per cent) belong to Karachi.