PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet on Wednesday decided to extend partial lockdown until April 30 while permitting low-risk production units, businesses and essential services premises to resume operation.

The cabinet, which met here with Chief Minister Mahmood Khan in the chair, reviewed the Covid-19 situation across the province and discussed matters related to the implementation of the decisions taken by the National Coordination Committee on Tuesday.

Briefing reporters following the cabinet meeting, adviser to the chief minister on information Ajmal Wazir said certain exemptions had been given while keeping in view the dire socio-economic consequences of the coronavirus-induced lockdown.

He said the cabinet had decided to extend partial lockdown in the province until April 30.

The adviser, however, said keeping in view the financial problems of daily-wage workers, exemptions would be given in some selective areas to enable them to earn livelihood.

Large-scale Covid-19 outbreak feared in Peshawar

He said both inter- and intra-district transport would remain suspended until April 30 but exemptions in intra-district transport would apply to private vehicles, rickshaws and vehicles carrying laborers.

Mr Wazir said Chief Minister Mahmood Khan announced two-month rent waiver to people renting shops and other properties owned by the chief minister and asked the cabinet members and well-off people to do the same to give the maximum relief to the vulnerable segments of society during the current testing times.

He said the cabinet also decided to constitute a ministerial committee comprising ministers Taimur Saleem Jhagra, Shaukat Yousafzai, Sultan Mohammad Khan, Shah Mohammad and Abdul Kareem Khan to take traders and transporters into confidence about the prevailing situation.

Also in the day, the relief and rehabilitation and settlement department issued a notification extending the partial lockdown until April 30 and announcing exemptions.

It said the low-risk production units and businesses, including those of automobile assemblies, IT hardware and components, tooling workshops, smartphone assembly, dry cleaning and laundry services, paper and packaging, veterinary services, bookshops and stationers, horticulture botanical nurseries, mining and real estate would be opened in line with the standard operating procedures.

The notification said low-risk essential service providers, including plumbers, carpenters, electricians, pharmacies, grocery stores, karyana shops, bakeries, atta chakki, tandoor, milk shops, vegetable shops, and chicken and meat shops, would also resume work.

The agriculture input providers dealing in seed, fertilisers and pesticides will also be allowed to operate.

In addition, all construction activities including manufacturing units including cement, steel rolling mills, steel foundries, glass factories, concrete blocks, wood factories and sanitary wares production units will be allowed to resume.

The notification, however, said all education institutions, including schools, colleges, universities and tuition, coaching and training centres both public and private ones would remain closed until May 31.

The board examinations or any other internal or external assessment of schools will also stand postponed until May 31.

The notification said a ban on all private ceremonies would stand banned in marriage halls, marquees, open spaces and houses would remain effective until further orders.

A statement issued here said the chief minister also chaired a meeting of KP Coronavirus Taskforce.

It said the meeting was informed that an exponential increase was reported in Covid-19 cases in the provincial capital and there was a risk of its mass scale outbreak turning the city into an epicentre.

The statement said the forum while showing serious concern on the matter decided to evolve a new and effective strategy to handle the situation and strictly implement the social distancing measures in the city.

Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2020