PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Friday decided that the people would have to wear face masks in public, while the shops and businesses exempted from lockdown would function until 4pm during the fasting month of Ramazan as part of efforts to stem the spread of novel coronavirus.

The decision was made in a meeting of the Provincial Task Force on Covid-19 here with Chief Minister Mahmood Khan in the chair.

Ministers Taimur Saleem Jhagra and Shaukat Yousafzai, adviser to the CM Ajmal Wazir, Peshawar Corps Commander Lt-General Nauman Mahmood, chief secretary Dr Kazim Niaz, Inspector General of Police Sanaullah Abbasi and senior military and civil officers attended the meeting.

Briefing the media about the decision of the task force’s meeting, finance and health minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra and adviser Ajmal Wazir said the forum had decided to make the use of face masks in public places mandatory, while the people would be persuaded and educated to use face mask in public for one week and the decision would be enforced strictly later.

Shops, businesses exempted from lockdown to function until 4pm during Ramazan

The meeting also decided that the implementation of social distancing and other precautionary measures in shops exempted from lockdown would be monitored closely and shops not implementing social distancing measures would be sealed immediately.

“To ensure the implementation of SOPs formulated at national level for the offering of prayers in mosques, committees will be constituted at provincial, divisional and district levels to engage the local ulema for the purpose,” he said.

The participants expressing concern about the increasing number of coronavirus cases in some districts and called for the strict checking of at entry points of high-risk cities to discourage the visit of people without valid reason.

Later, the chief minister attended the meeting of the National Coordination Committee through video link and briefed participants about the task force’s decisions.

Prime Minister Imran Khan chaired the meeting.

Following the task force’s meeting, a notification was issued by relief, rehabilitation and settlement department secretary Abid Majeed modifying the Apr 15 notification to the extent of fresh timings of shops, businesses and services exempted from lockdown.

“All members of public, during their movement outdoors, shall be required to wear masks at all times including surgical masks where possible, or masks made of cloth,” the notification read.

The notification said the exempted enterprises, shops or businesses won’t be allowed to remain open later than 4pm.

It, however, said pharmacies could continue to operate round the clock.

According to the notification, takeaway from eateries and restaurants will be allowed until 4pm.

The department has been issuing notifications from time to time for regulating the situation caused by the outbreak of coronavirus in the province.

The department had issued a comprehensive notification on Apr 15 declaring the closure and suspension of different entities, including educational institutions, board examinations, private ceremonies, inter-district and intra-district public transport, shops apart from grocery, medicines and other essential shops, entry of visitors to prisons, tourist spots and restaurants.

The notification had permitted certain low risk activities, factories, units, shops, etc to continue to function but have to follow certain SOPs.

Meanwhile, adviser to the chief minister Ajmal Wazir on Friday denied the rumours about the imposition of curfew in the provincial capital and said the government had no such plans.

He said a total of 5,300 members of the Tableeghi Jamaat were present in the province with over 70 per cent being Pakistanis and the rest foreigners.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2020