NCOC issues new SOPs for Ramadan across country

ISLAMABAD (92 News) - Following to the rapidly increase of the COVID-19 cases, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Wednesday issued new standard operating procedures (SOPs) for Ramadan across the country.

A special meeting of NCOC was chaired for this by Asad Umar on Tuesday.

According to a declaration issued by the NCOC, the forum has decided to implement “broader lockdowns”, with stringent enforcement protocols where no mobility will be allowed except in emergency situations.

Saturdays and Sundays will be observed as closed days at the national level.

Indoor, outdoor activities

All indoor and outdoor activities, including social, cultural, political, sports, and other miscellaneous events, will be banned. “Outdoor dining will be allowed from iftar till midnight, example 11:59 pm, with strict SOPs, while takeaways will be allowed,” the notification read.

Cinemas, shrines, and amusement parks will remain closed.

Inter-provincial transport

Amid the spread of the pandemic in the third wave, the inter-provincial transport will remain suspended for two days a week (Saturdays and Sundays) which will continue to be enforced till midnight April 25-26.

Market timings

Market timings will be from sehri till 6 pm. For Taraweeh prayers, NCOC said that it should be organised in open spaces as far as possible.

The forum called for civil administration at every tier to engage ulemas and community leaders for assistance in the enforcement of COVID-19 SOPs during Ramadan.

Protocols for tourism

Stringent protocols for tourism have been imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu Kashmir and tourist sites elsewhere.

NCOC issues NPIs for Ramazan ul Mubarak. Please follow SOPs to stay safe! pic.twitter.com/GUYjhzUQIZ

— NCOC (@OfficialNcoc) April 13, 2021

Here are other orders that have been issued:

• Indoor dining banned
• Outdoor dining allowed till midnight
• Takeaway and delivery allowed till sehri
• Inter-province transport closed twice a week
• 70% passengers allowed in trains
• 50% passengers allowed in intra-city transport
• 50% work from home
• The forum added that a smart lockdown will be placed in areas that have been declared virus hotspots. Entry and exit points of these neighbourhoods will be sealed.
• On the other hand, precautionary measures for tourism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit Baltistan have been tightened.