PAKISTAN CRONAVIRUS LOCKDOWN

Headline

As Pakistan seeks to lift some curbs, Sindh CM urges ‘stricter’ lockdown.

Intro

As Pakistan announces a two-week extension to its lockdown to stop the spread of coronavirus with lifting of some curbs, Chief Minister for Sindh province, Murad Ali Shah says stricter measures will be in place according to SOPs.

Story

SHOTLIST: KARACHI, PAKISTAN (APRIL 15, 2020) (VNA – ACCESS ALL)

    CHIEF MINISTER OF SINDH PROVINCE, MURAD ALI SHAH, WITH PROVINCIAL MINISTER, HOLDING NEWS CONFERENCE
    SHAH SPEAKING DURING NEWS CONFERENCE
    (SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) CHIEF MINISTER OF SINDH PROVINCE, MURAD ALI SHAH, SAYING: “The lockdown has been extended for 14 days, and I am saying it by way of you that across entire Pakistan, what we have agreed, there will be stricter lockdown. This I want to tell you. Yes, exceptions are there and I will talk about them, but those exceptions are very calculated and have been decided after a thorough discussion. There will be a lockdown for another 14 days.”
    DESERTED STREET WITH THIN TRAFFIC
    CLOSED SHOPS
    SHOPKEEPERS SITTING OUTSIDE CLOSED SHOPS
    VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING AT CLOSED MARKETPLACE
    STREET WITH CLOSED SHOPS/CALL FOR PRAYER HEARD
    EXTERIOR OF CLOSED MOSQUE

 

STORY: As Pakistan announced a two-week extension to its lockdown until April 30 to stop the spread of coronavirus with lifting of some curbs, Chief Minister for Sindh province, Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday (April 15) said stricter measures would be in place according to SOPs.

Prime minister Imran Khan on Tuesday announced to reopen construction sector which he said was most important after agriculture. Export industries will also be reopened.

Speaking at a news conference after a meeting with provincial ministers, Shah said that following a consensus with the federal government some essential services and businesses have been exempted from the lockdown but also added that the lockdown will continue to be strictly implemented.

“The lockdown has been extended for 14 days, and I am saying it by way of you that across entire Pakistan, what we have agreed, there will be stricter lockdown. This I want to tell you. Yes, exceptions are there and I will talk about them, but those exceptions are very calculated and have been decided after a thorough discussion. There will be a lockdown for another 14 days,”Shah said.

He said that on Tuesday two meetings were held – the first one with Federal Minister Asad Umar and the other one with prime minister. In those meetings all the provincial governments agreed that the lockdown would be extended for another 14 days, he said and added he was thankful to them for developing consensus.

He further said that the Sindh government has decided against allowing plumbers, electricians, tailors and barbers to operate in the province.

The Sindh chief minister stated that transport–both intercity and intra city–will remain suspended and factories will have to arrange transport for their workers. Sindh Chief Minister announced ban on pillion riding, however, women have been exempted but children would not be allowed.

In Pakistan’s largest city and capital of Sindh province, Karachi, most shops remained closed and fewer worshippers headed for mosques to attend prayers, a day after Islamic clerics called for lifting of ban on congregational prayers in mosques though some businesses opened in other provinces.

Shah said that he wanted the prime minister to announce SOPs for mosques. The prime minister in his address said that he would talk to clerics of different school of thought before announcing the SOP.

He said he had constituted a committee of his cabinet members to talk with clerics and their meeting would start from today to develop a code of conduct for Tarwih and other prayers in the mosques.

The number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan has risen to over 6,000 with 113 deaths.

 

End of shows and script

VNA Karachi….Shahab