PESHAWAR: City traffic police here have imposed fines on 29,370 people for violating the Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) and not wearing face mask in the past one month.

A report issued here said that the traffic police were engaged in spreading awareness among general public regarding Covid-19 and the officers were educating public and enforcing restrictions in all sectors of the city. It said that the traffic police personnel also distributed face masks among people during its enforcement and awareness drives.

The report said that traffic police and district administration of the provincial capital were acting against violators of the SOPs. It said that both the departments were working jointly to ensure wearing of face masks by people at all public transport stands.

SSP traffic Abbas Majeed Marwat told Dawn that they were ensuring implementation of the Covid SOPs.

“Around 30,000 persons were fined during the last month for violation of the SOPs,” he said, adding that additionally police awareness and education teams were also distributing face masks among commuters. He asked people to follow the SOPs and said that otherwise action would be taken against violators.

In Bajaur, the district administration on Saturday closed scores of shops in different bazaars of the district for flouting the lockdown meant to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the region.

According to a statement issued here, the administration has shut a number of shops in Khar, Inayat Kallay and Sadiqabad after the vendors failed to follow the administration’s instruction to close their shops two days a week on Fridays and Saturdays.

According to our Lakki Marwat correspondent, the district administration sealed three plazas over violation of Covid SOPs in Tank city on Saturday.

In this regard, deputy commissioner Kabir Afridi visited bazaars and markets to check implementation of the weekly lockdown by traders. He also visited sasta bazaar and asked the traders to provide relief to buyers.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2021