Hotels, restaurants, cinemas in Punjab to open after Eid

LAHORE: Two weeks after lifting of the countrywide lockdown, the Punjab government has decided to allow hotels, restaurants and cinemas across the province to open after Eid, ARY News reported.

Sources within the home department said restaurants and hotels that are already offering takeaway services at present with the government-defined standard operating procedures (SOPs) will open their doors after Eid.

They said cinemas and theatres in the province will also be permitted to open after Eid under the SOPs.

Earlier, on May 9, the government started lifting the weeks-long lockdown that was enforced to curb the spread of the coronavirus and opened up various sectors. It issued standard operating procedures (SOPs) and safety measures for businesses to avoid the spread of the virus.

The Supreme Court earlier this week ordered the government to open all the shopping malls across the country.

“People will die of hunger even if they survive COVID-19 if the business activities are not resumed in the country,” Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed had remarked while heading a five-member bench of the Supreme Court that heard the suo moto case regarding measures taken by the government to combat the coronavirus pandemic.