'Smart' lockdown imposed in 27 areas of Lahore amid rising coronavirus positivity ratio

A "smart" lockdown has been imposed in different areas of Lahore amid a rising positivity ratio in the provincial capital.

According to a notification issued on Saturday, the lockdown will remain in effect till April 9 and will extend to 27 areas falling within the Allama Iqbal, Aziz Bhatti, Cantonment, Data Gunj Bukhsh, Gulberg, Nishtar, and Samanabad towns.

In this period, all markets, restaurants and offices in these areas shall remain closed.

Movement in these areas is also banned "except for limited movement of one person per vehicle" to and from facilities exempt from the ban.

The notification also states that gatherings of all kinds, religious or social, private or public, are also prohibited in this time.

Operational hours/rules for businesses

Grocery stores, chakkis, fruit and vegetable shops, tandoors and petrol pumps will be allowed to operate seven days a week, from 9am to 7pm.

Milk shops, chicken and meat shops and fish shops can only open between 7am and 7pm.

Medical stores, laboratories and collection points, hospitals, clinics and bakeries are allowed to continue 24/7 operations.

Large departmental stores will only keep their grocery/pharmacy sections open while all other sections will remain closed.

"They will allow customers to enter stores in smaller groups while fulfilling the condition of social distancing and SOPs devised in consultation with district administration and police shall be strictly complied," read the notification.

Exemptions

The Punjab government has said that the following exemptions to the curbs will apply:

- Officials of government departments on duty duly notified by respective departments.

- Judges, lawyers and court staff.

- Personnel related to health services including hospitals, clinics.

- Laboratories collection points and medical stores.

- Personnel related to Law Enforcement Agencies.

- Personnel related to essential services/offices going to perform their duties or providing essential services.

- Persons in need of medical care with two attendants where necessary.

- Persons going to buy grocery and medicines within the vicinity of their residence.

- Necessary/unavoidable religious rites like the last rites. Namaz-e-Janaza, burial, and related events.

- Utility Companies: WASAs Municipalities, WAPDA, NTDC, DISCOs and SNGPL.

- Public and private telecom/cellular companies, their franchises and their customer support center with no public dealing allowed.

- Call centres with 50% staff and no public dealing allowed.

- Banks with only essential staff.

- Takeaway/home delivery from restaurants.

- Media persons authorised by information department and newspaper hawkers.

- Any exemption that may be deemed necessary by the Commissioner of the concerned division.

Furthermore, a similar lockdown has also been put into force in certain areas of Multan, Faisalabad and Gujranwala.

Read the notifications for all four cities below: