Sindh decides to relax coronavirus restrictions from Monday

KARACHI: Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah on Sunday announced some relaxations to the coronavirus restrictions which had been in place for the last 15 days.

The decisions were taken during a meeting of the Sindh Coronavirus  Task Force on Sunday. Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho, Education minister Saeed Ghani, Senator Murtaza Wahab, Nasir Shah, police higher-ups, members from the World Health Organisation (WHO), and other prominent government officials were also in attendance. 

During the meeting, the CM revealed that on June 1, the ratio of coronavirus positivity in Karachi was 8.5%, while there were 12.45% cases in the city.  

In light of the number of cases in the province, the following important decisions were taken.

Opening of markets, shops

During the meeting, the Sindh government decided to allow shops and markets to remain open till 8pm instead of 6pm from Monday, June 7. However, the CM said that all shopkeepers and staffers must get vaccinated for the coronavirus.

"After 14 days, the vaccination certificates of all staff members and shopkeepers will be randomly checked," the CM said.

Restaurants

Restaurants will be allowed to open outdoor dining until 12 am from June 7. However, restaurants will have to ensure that there is sufficient distance between people sitting in the outdoor areas.

Earlier, the provincial government had imposed a complete ban on both indoor and outdoor dining due to the rising number of coronavirus cases.

Beaches

The provincial government also decided to reopen the beaches as well as the Sea View for recreational purposes.

Salons

All salons and beauty parlours will be allowed to operate under strict coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs) starting Monday.

Marriage halls

Marriage halls and outdoor weddings will be allowed to reopen after two weeks, the CM announced. 

Sindh schools, educational institutions

Schools and educational institutions, for classes IX and above, will reopen from June 7 (Monday). The Sindh government, however, has made it mandatory for all teachers and staffers to get vaccinated.

"Sindh Corona Task Force has decided to reopen educational institutions of Sindh for class 9th and above from 7th June(tomorrow) with strict SOPs. All staff must be get vaccinated," tweeted education minister Saeed Ghani.