KP Govt Allows Opening Of Public Transport From Monday; Public Holiday Extended Till May 31

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Saturday decided to open public transport from Monday (May 18) under strict precautionary measures for facilitation of public and ordered transporters to reduce fares keeping in view the prices of petroleum products

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th May, 2020 ):The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Saturday decided to open public transport from Monday (May 18) under strict precautionary measures for facilitation of public and ordered transporters to reduce fares keeping in view the prices of petroleum products.

KP Government spokesman Ajmal Wazir said that all Deputy Commissioner, Regional Transport Authority and transports would finalize SOPs while District administration would ensure implementation of SOPs, adding that petrol pumps and CNG stations were allowed to operate round-the-clock.

He said that keeping in view situation in the area, Divisional Commissioners would open specified routes within the jurisdiction of his division while the routes that were passing through different divisions would be decided at provincial level.

He said that after relaxation of ban, the public transport would have to charge fares on the basis of the newly announced fares framed.

Ajmal said the provincial government has extended general public holidays in the province and now all government offices except those exempted would remain closed till end of the current month (May 31, 2020).

He said that all relaxations in lockdown have been made in the meeting of the Chief Minister Mahmood Khan headed by Provincial Task Force (PTF) in consultations with federal government.

The adviser announced that barbers and beauty salons shops in the province would adhere to standing operation procedures (SOPs) to remain open three days a week (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) till 4:00 p.m.

The barbers and salons would be required for keeping special focus on cleanliness and both service providers and customers would have to wash hands and ensure the use of face masks and for this purpose they would have to guarantee the provision of soap and sanitizers at their shops.

He said that barbers and saloons would also guarantee to avoid crowding, maintain social distancing and no one would be allowed to sit in the waiting room of their shops. They would also have to clean their equipments through sanitizers while the use of towel has been banned completely.

Ajmal Wazir attributed relaxation in lockdown to mitigate the hardships of the people and keep the wheel of economy moving. He said that the government was fighting at two fronts at a time. One fight was against coronavirus and the second was poverty.

He was critical of the criticism of opposition parties over relaxation in lockdown and said that if the past rulers have strengthened economy for affording complete lockdown.

He said that the leadership of PPP and PML-N were addressing the people while sitting in air-conditioned rooms in front of laptops while on the other hand the whole machinery of the KP government under the leadership of Chief Minister Mahmood Khan was on frontline as per vision of the Prime Minister Imran Khan and guaranteeing the protection of the people.

The adviser warned that in case of the violation of SOPs, the administration would have to seal any business or shop. He appealed the people for using masks and ensuring social distancing.

Regarding current corona situation, the adviser said that 255 new cases have been reported during last 24 hours reaching the tally of patients in the province to 5678. Seven deaths have also been recorded due to corona that climbed the number of deaths to 291. As many as 108 patients have also been recovered in one day that reached the number of recovered persons to 1623.