The Punjab government has eased lockdown restrictions imposed under its austerity policy and has announced revised timings for closures.
A formal notification has been issued in this regard on the directives of the Punjab government.
As per the notification, gyms, IT companies, and call centres have been exempted from closing time limits.
In a key decision, the government allowed relaxation in these curbs. Call centres working with international clients have been given special concessions.
Sports facilities have also been exempted from the 8pm closing restriction.
The Punjab government had implemented the “smart lockdown” focusing on energy conservation and austerity, rather than health lockdowns.
Key restrictions included mandatory 8:00 PM closure for shops/markets and 10:00 PM for restaurants.
Over 2,395 arrests made in Lahore for violations as of early May.
Rawalpindi traders demands
The traders of the garrison city have demanded the Punjab government to extend the closing hours of shops under the smart lockdown from 8:00 pm to 10 :00 pm, while the working hours of hotels, restaurants and food and beverage centers be extended from 10pm to 12 midnight
They added that employees who are relieved from government and private offices also mostly do shopping in the evening, so the current policy is not only against public convenience but is also affecting business activities.
They demanded the government to provide relief to both traders and citizens by extending the working hours.
The traders said that if these demands were not heeded, the business community will be forced to launch a protest movement not only in Rawalpindi but also in the entire Punjab.
