ISLAMABAD: Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has lauded the Sindh government’s move to loosen COVID-19-related restrictions but maintained they were not enough.
“The decisions made yesterday, especially those pertaining to industries and transport, need to be reviewed. We put forth our point of view based on which a partial amendment has been announced, which is a welcome sign. But further amendments are needed,” he wrote on Twitter.
جو سندھ میں فیصلے کل کئے گئے، خاص طور پر صنعت اور ٹرانسپورٹ کی بندش کے بارے میں ان پر نظر ثانی کی ضرورت ہے. ہم نے کل بھی اور اج بھی اپنے نکتہ نظر سے آگاہ کیا تھا، جس کی بنیاد پر جزوی تبدیلی کی گئ ہے، جو خوش آئند ہے. لیکن ابھی بھی مزید ترمیم کی ضرورت ہے.
— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) July 31, 2021
“Such decisions were made after minutely reviewing ground realities,” he said, adding “These decisions are taken via a platform where there is a presence of all federal, civil, military, and provincial institutions.”
The NCOC chief further said after a year’s performance, there should be no doubt that the forum operates “with no political bias” and takes decisions that are in the best interest of the nation.
“If every province would have relied on its own resources and made decisions without consultations, then this could not have been possible,” he said, indicating that without teamwork, it is impossible to beat COVID-19.
He hoped the Sindh government would further consult NCOC on its decisions in a meeting tomorrow, following which a strategy that could protect both the citizens’ health and their jobs would emerge.
The Sindh government today (Saturday) revised its coronavirus lockdown restrictions it imposed a day ago, lifting the ban on pillion riding and allowing small transport to ply within the limits of Karachi.
The provincial government notified the following revisions in the coronavirus lockdown restrictions:
- Milk shops and bakeries exempted from timing restrictions, i.e: 6pm to 6am.
- Home delivery from restaurants as well as under E-commerce permitted.
- Industrial establishments/premises other than export-oriented industry and related with the manufacture/production of essential services may also be made functional.
- Fertilisers/pesticide shops and warehouses are exempted from timing restrictions.
- Small public transport (taxi, cab, rickshaw, Qingqi, etc) may ply within the city limits.
- Large public transport (buses, mini-buses and wagons) may ply within the city limits.
- The restriction of not carrying more than two persons in private vehicles is waived-off.
