KARACHI – Amid the number of coronavirus cases going down in the country, the Sindh government on Tuesday announced revised COVID-19 restrictions for the province.
The new restrictions took effect from February 22 and will be “revised earlier if the periodical review of the COVID-19 situation warrants”.
Under the revised curbs, the following will apply:
Gatherings: Indoor gatherings of all types, including weddings, with a cap of 500 fully-vaccinated guests will be allowed. Outdoor gatherings allowed with strict enforcement of safety protocols.
Dining: Ban on indoor dining has been lifted. And, outdoor dining for fully-vaccinated citizens and takeaway service will be allowed.
Business timings: Businesses will continue without time restrictions.
Office routine: Offices will be allowed to operate at 100% capacity of fully vaccinated workers with normal working hours.
Education sector: Institutes for children under 12 years of age will open with stringent COVID-19 protocols. Institutes for children above 12 years of age will open with stringent COVID-19 protocols (fully vaccinated).
Public transport: Public buses will be allowed to operate with 80% of their seating capacity. Wearing masks will be mandatory throughout the journey. However, a complete ban on serving meals/snacks during the journey will remain imposed till February 28.
Gyms: All gyms will be allowed to remain open for fully-vaccinated individuals only.
Shrines: Open for fully-vaccinated individuals only.
Cinemas: All cinemas will be allowed to remain open for fully-vaccinated individuals only.
Amusement Parks: Open for fully-vaccinated individuals only.
Sports: All types of sports are allowed for vaccinated individuals.
Domestic air/land travel meals: A complete ban on serving meals/snacks during the in-flight or land journeys for domestic travel will remain imposed till February 28.
Railways: Railways will operate with a 100% occupancy level for vaccinated individuals only.
A complete ban on serving meals/snacks during the journey will remain imposed till February 28.
Mask wearing: Compliance with compulsory mask-wearing while incorporating innovative measures for enforcement. Strict adherence to SOPs in mosques and other places of worship be ensured by the respective district administration.
Extended lockdowns: Smart lockdown with stringent enforcement protocols based on disease clusters.
Earlier in the day, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) removed three cities from the list of cities/districts where it earlier decided to keep restrictions in place, as COVID-19 positivity rates decline countrywide.
The forum, last week, had issued a list of six cities/districts where the COVID-19 positivity was higher than 10%, saying that the already enforced restrictions will remain in place there.
The cities/districts included:
Gilgit
Muzaffarabad
Mardan
Karachi
Hyderabad
Peshawar
However, after witnessing a declining coronavirus trend in half of these cities, the NCOC removed Karachi, Hyderabad and Peshawar from the list.
