Coronavirus: New guideline issued for grocery markets, superstores

LAHORE: Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Operation has issued a new order for grocery and general stores to strictly follow precautionary measures in view of COVID-19 cases, ARY News reported on Sunday.

The owners of the stores have been directed to maintain a distance of at least 1 metre between customers. The administration will also draw marks of the specified distance in the stores.

It is also directed to close superstores across the province till 5:00 pm each day and put restriction to allow passengers entering into the shops until 4:30 pm.

Moreover, the administrative staff of the stores will be given an additional 30 minutes after closure time.

COVID-19 statistics

Pakistan’s tally of coronavirus cases has jumped above 3,000 including 18 patients declared critical after the confirmation of 179 new infections during the last 24 hours, ARY News reported on Sunday.

The country has witnessed a steep rise in COVID-19 cases as the current number of infections reached to 3,059 on Sunday evening.

1,319 confirmed cases are from Punjab, 881 in Sindh out of the overall figure of COVID-19 patients across the country. 372 patients are kept under isolation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 206 in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), 189 in Balochistan, 78 in federal capital Islamabad and 14 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

According to national dashboard on coronavirus pandemic, 170 patients have recovered from the disease so far, whereas, 45 patients lost their lives and 18 remained in critical condition.