The Punjab Food Authority has seized thousands of tonnes of illegally stocked wheat across the province during a series of raids. The authority seized 10,000 wheat bags from Dera Ghazi Khan, 3,000 from Bahawalnagar and 2,000 bags from Layyah. A total of 20,000 bags were also impounded from a warehouse in Multan. All the warehouses where bags were found have been shut down and their owners have been arrested.
The Punjab government has decided to ease its coronavirus lockdown after May 9, whilw shopkeepers have been directed to strictly follow SOPs. The province has reported 8,693 cases of the novel coronavirus so far. Textile, steel and spare part shops will be allowed to operate for six hours. Parks will also be reopened for the public, but they’ll not be allowed to go on any swings or rides.
The Punjab government has ratified the allotment of up to 25 acres of army land to 47 civilian government officials. The land was meant for the families of the martyred soldiers and war veterans under the Army Welfare Scheme (AWS). The allotments had been made without legal sanction on the orders of former dictator Gen Pervez Musharraf in contravention of the merit and law.
The Punjab government has extended the hours of Utility Stores across the province. According to a notification issued by the government, the stores will now be open from 9am to 8pm. People will be able to visit the stores after iftaar as well. The primary and secondary health department has also issued a notification on this and said the decision was made to facilitate people.
The Grand Health Alliance ended its protest on Saturday after the Punjab health secretary assured them that their demands would be fulfilled. The alliance was demanding that the government provide them with personal protective equipment to prevent healthcare workers from contracting the novel coronavirus. They had been asking for the equipment for more than two weeks.
Punjab will begin random COVID-19 testing of people for an assessment of coronavirus prevalence in the province from Tuesday. This will help draw a complete epidemiological assessment of the situation,” the Health Department of Punjab said in a tweet on Monday night. The samples will include these places in the beginning: hospitals, mandis, markets, residential areas and pharmacies.
Punjab is preparing to conduct 10,000 tests for the novel coronavirus in a day, revealed Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on Wednesday. More than 43,000 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in the province so far, he said. According to Buzdar, the province has been taking precautionary measures to contain the virus by disinfecting areas. Field hospitals with 4,500 beds have been prepared and eight new laboratories will soon be opened.
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.
Punjab has decided to close all its shops and markets by 5pm to intensify the lockdown to curb the coronavirus spread in the province. The decision was taken by CM Usman Buzdar. All shops and markets have been instructed to operate from 9am to 5pm. This restriction, however, won’t be placed on medical stores and pharmacies.