Sindh not to close markets, shopping centres before Eidul Azha

KARACHI: The Government of Sindh has decided against closing markets and shopping centres before Eidul Azha, provincial information minister said in a statement on Wednesday.

The government will not further tighten the lockdown, Minister for Information Nasir Hussain Shah has said.

It is to be mentioned here that the Punjab government on Monday announced to enforce a “smart lockdown” in the province from midnight till August 5 to curtail the spread of the coronavirus pandemic on the occasion of Eidul Azha.

Sindh’s minister said that tightening lockdown in Punjab is the decision of the provincial government. Sindh will maintain existing measures for lockdown in the province.

The markets and shopping centres will continue to remain open till 7:00 in the evening before Eidul Azha, the minister said.

“We will ensure enforcement of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs),” Nasir Shah further said.

Earlier, Sindh Minister for Auqaf and Irrigation, Suhail Anwar Siyal, said that all shrines in the province, including Hazrat Qalandar-Lal-Shahbaz, will be opened for public with standard operating procedures (SOPs) after Eid-ul-Azha.

He said this while talking to media at Sehwan on Wednesday.

The government of Sindh had earlier decided to reopen the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalander for visitors under Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

The shrine was closed on March 14 by the provincial government to halt the spread of deadly coronavirus.

It is to be noted that here that annual urs of Sufi saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, scheduled to take place at the shrine in Sehwan Sharif from April 12 was also canceled.

The DC had said that it was estimated that 1.2 million visits the Sehwan city of annual urs celebrations of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar hence it would be danger for devotees to gather at Sehwan due to outbreak of coronavirus.