LAHORE: In wake of rising COVID-19 cases, the Punjab government has decided to ban inter-district public transport in the province after May 10.
As per details, the ban on public transport would come into place from 6:00 pm on May 10 to 6:00 am on May 15. The decision was taken during a meeting of the provincial government to review the COVID-19 situation in the province on Saturday.
The meeting was attended by provincial ministers Raja Basharat, Dr. Yasmin Rashid, chief secretary, and other officials. During the meeting steps to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, increasing the number of vaccination centers, and other issues were discussed.
On this occasion, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Raja Basharat said that they are reviewing the COVID situation on daily basis and the public should act responsibly and adopt precautionary steps.
Health Minister Dr. Yasmin Rashid said that there was no shortage of doses at the vaccination centers. “Health officials administering more than 100,000 doses of COVID vaccine in a day,” she said, adding that the vaccination’s capacity would be augmented with the passage of time.
Earlier, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) had decided to ban inter-provincial transport. In a session held at the NCOC, it was decided to ban inter-provincial transport for two days a week (Saturday and Sunday).
However, goods, freight, medical and other emergency services will be exempted, announced an official statement.
It was also decided that the railways would continue to operate seven days a week, with 70 percent capacity according to SOPs.
Participants of the NCOC meeting decided to review the situation after Eid when they would meet again to discuss whether the inter-provincial transport ban should be withdrawn or extended.
