MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government on Tuesday decided to re-impose complete lockdown across the territory for two weeks in the wake of alarming spike in Covid-19 cases.

The lockdown will come into effect from 12:01am on Sunday (Nov 22) until 12pm on December 6, almost on the previous pattern with the exception of permission to the public transport to operate with strict adherence to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) decided the AJK cabinet, with Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider in the chair.

Speaking at a media briefing, four cabinet members — senior minister Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, health minister Dr Najeeb Naqi, population welfare minister Dr Mustafa Bashir and education minister Barrister Iftikhar Gillani — said the decision was taken after threadbare discussion on how to contain the resurgence of the deadly viral disease in a territory that had earlier earned appreciation for its effective measures to contain the global pandemic.

“The first and foremost priority of the government is to save the lives of people, for which unpopular decisions become unavoidable… Since I have been twice hit by this virus, lately very seriously, I and other victims like me can understand far better than others the inevitability and utility of this decision,” he added.

Giving salient points of decisions, health minister Naqi said public meetings, religious congregations, wedding ceremonies would not be allowed and educational institutions, seminaries, marriage halls, shops and shopping malls, private medical clinics, barber shops and beauty parlours would remain closed.

However, grocery stores, food, vegetable dairy, stationery and LPG cylinder shops, pharmacies, bakeries andtandoors, etc., would remain open from 7am to 7pm with adherence to the SOPs.

Hotels and restaurants would not serve food on their premises but as a takeaway.

Parks and other recreational spots, playgrounds and gyms would remain closed and tourists would not be allowed during the lockdown, Mr Naqi said, adding, public transport would be allowed to ply but with strict adherence to the SOP, violation of which would render the transporter/driver concerned to strict legal action.

Similarly, he said, construction activity would be allowed in accordance with the SOPs.

He said funeral prayers would be offered in accordance with the SOPs with a maximum number of 50 participants.

He said the decisions were taken in keeping with peculiar conditions of the territory.

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2020