AJK govt notifies complete lockdown following NCOC directives

MIRPUR, AJK: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government has issued a notification regarding the imposition of complete lockdown from May 8 to 16 due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

Following the guidelines of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the AJK government notified the closure of all trade centres and tourism activities except the shops of essential commodities, fuel stations, medical stores and vaccination centres.

The shops of essential commodities will be allowed to open from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm. Tourism activities will be completed banned, as well as all hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, public parks and picnic points will be closed.

All routes to the tourist spots will be closed, according to the notificiation, while only local citizens will be permitted to return to their homes. Inter-district, inter-city and inter-provincial transport services will also be closed.

Read: Tougher restrictions imposed in AJK’s Mirpur to curb virus spread

The AJK government issued orders for ensuring the uninterrupted electricity supply across the region during the lockdown period.

Earlier in the day, the Punjab government also decided to impose a complete lockdown from May 8 to restrict public movement due to the consistent rise in novel coronavirus cases.

It has been decided to restrict the public movement by imposing a ban on public transport and tourist spots across the province. The provincial authorities will establish check post on the entrance and exit routes of the cities where police, Rangers and army troops will be deployed.

Dr Yasmin Rashid said that 15 to 20 days are very important to contain COVID-19 and asked citizens to support the government steps besides exhibiting responsible behaviour by adopting precautionary measures. She appealed to citizens to celebrate the Eidul Fitr festival with simplicity.