The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has issued a new set of guidelines for Ramadan to alleviate the adverse effects of the third wave of coronavirus.
On Wednesday, NCOC issued a new set of Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) amid 3rd coronavirus wave. Asad Umar chaired a special NCOC meeting on Tuesday in this regard. Given the alarming surge in coronavirus cases, the meeting decided to implement “broader lockdowns”, with strict enforcement protocols where no mobility will be allowed except in emergency situations.
According to the notification issued by the coronavirus monitoring body, Saturdays and Sundays will remain closed days at the national level. All indoor and outdoor activities, including social, cultural, political, sports, and other miscellaneous events, will be banned.
Outdoor dinning allowed from iftaar till midnight
“Outdoor dining will be allowed from iftaar till midnight with strict SOPs, while takeaways will be allowed,” the notification read.
In addition to the complete closure of cinemas and shrines, NCOC also announced amusement parks, too, will remain closed.
NCOC further decided to ban inter-provincial transport on two closed days (Saturdays and Sundays) which will continue to be enforced till midnight April 25-26.
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Market timings in the month of Ramadan
While revealing guidelines for Ramadan, NCOC says that Market timings will be from sehri till 6pm. For taraweeh prayers, NCOC said that it should be organized in open spaces as far as possible. The forum called for civil administration at every tier to engage ulemas and community leaders for assistance in the enforcement of COVID-19 SOPs during Ramadan.
NCOC also announced to continue with the 50% work from home policy for all public and private offices, where intercity public transport is to operate at 50% of capacity.
Strict protocols for tourism have been imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu Kashmir and tourist sites elsewhere. “Sentinel testing sites at every point/selected locations will be established,” the notification read.
