Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani said Tuesday the lockdown rules will be relaxed after April 14. Ghani explained in a statement that the decision is taken so that some sectors can be given conditional permission to resume their operations. However, he reminded people to continue following the lockdown rules as per the law until the aforementioned day.
Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has permitted its domestic consumers with a bill less than Rs.2000 to pay it in easy installments. The decision was taken amid the countrywide lockdown due to Coronavirus. Those consumers who have received the bill without installments can pay their bills in 3 installments at nearby banks. According to the SNGPL spokesperson, all banks have been notified of the decision.
All private schools in Punjab have been ordered to provide a 20% concession on tuition fees to parents, according to Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar. In a tweet on Monday, he said that the schools are no more allowed to charge consolidated fees for two months and have to collect them separately for each month.
The Punjab government has decided to set up field hospitals at its parks to treat patients who have contracted COVID-19. Asif Mehmood, the chairperson of the Parks and Horticulture Authority, said that these field hospitals will serve as quarantine centres when the burden on hospitals increases. For this matter he has issued instructions to administrations of different cities to follow these directives.
Rawalpindi city’s crime rate dropped to zero since the day the Punjab government enforced a province-wide lockdown on 24 March. The crime rate in Rawalpindi city had already decreased by 70% to 80% before the enactment of lockdown because most citizens limited their movement due to Coronavirus outbreak while the police took care of the rest through patrolling every nook and cranny of the city, according to the SP Saddar Division, Rai Mazhar Iqbal.
PIA stopped its flight operations from Karachi on Sunday after four pilots were suspected of contracting the coronavirus. CEO Air Marshal Arshad Malik has issued immediate instructions to ground the planes. Four pilots were stopped as part of precautionary measures against the virus.The Pakistan Airline Pilots Association has stopped the pilots from flying and has called for safety measures for pilots saying that PIA has been unable to provide a safe environment.
The Torkham and Chaman borders connecting Pakistan and Afghanistan are going to be opened for three days to allow Afghan nationals to exit Pakistan. The Foreign Office announced the news in a statement on Saturday. It is being opened at the special request of the Afghan government on humanitarian considerations. The Torkham and Chaman border crossings will be opened for a specific period from April 6 to 9.
Murree Brewery has gotten the go-ahead from the Punjab excise and taxation department to start making hand sanitizer. According to the company’s CEO, they have been given permission to make 10,000 gallons of sanitizer per month till June 2020. Earlier this week, the brewery offered to mass produce and sell hand sanitizer with 70 percent alcohol to help fight the coronavirus outbreak in Pakistan.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has suspended all passenger flights till midnight on April 11, according to a notification issued. The only exception would be the diplomatic, special/cargo flights and flights of national carrier to/from Pakistan holding special approval from the competent authority for transporting stranded Passengers. However, domestic flight operations to/from Islamabad International Airport for Gilgit and Skardu Airport would continue as per normal operations.
All airplanes have to be thoroughly disinfected before boarding passengers, the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority announced. The authority issued an advisory for all national and international airlines operating in Pakistan. It ordered the companies to add coronavirus in their health declaration forms. It also stated that during the flights, all passengers and flight attendants should be provided face masks.