Online Desk :
Coronavirus infections and deaths have been on the rise in the country for several days now. Considering this situation, the government has issued 18 new guidelines. Among these, there are instructions not to go out of the house unnecessarily after 10:00 pm, including banning public gatherings in the most infected areas.
A gazette notification signed by Ahmad Kaikaus, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, has been issued from the Cabinet Division on Monday.
The 18-point guidelines are —
1. All kinds of public gatherings (social, political, religious and others) should be limited. All public gatherings are prohibited in highly infected areas. Public gatherings on the occasion of any social event including weddings or birthdays should be discouraged.
2. Proper hygiene should be ensured in all religious places including mosques.
3. Tourism, entertainment centers, cinema halls, theaters should be limited for public gatherings and fairs of all kinds should be discouraged.
4. Public transport must comply with hygiene rules and cannot carry more than 50 percent of its capacity.
5. Inter-district traffic should be limited to high-risk areas of infection and should be closed if necessary.
6. Passengers arriving from abroad must ensure institutional (at own expense in the hotel) quarantine for 14 days.
7. It is necessary to make arrangements for the purchase and sale of daily commodities in the open space in compliance with the hygiene rules. Medicine stores need to ensure proper hygiene.
8. Healthcare institutions need to ensure proper hygiene including wearing masks
9. In shopping malls, both buyers and sellers need to ensure proper hygiene.
10. All educational institutions (pre-primary, primary, madrasa, secondary, higher secondary, university) and coaching centers will be closed.
11. Unnecessary roaming/chatting should be stopped. Going out after 10:00 pm without an emergency needs to be controlled.
12. If necessary, if anyone needs to go out – they must ensure the observance of all kinds of hygiene including wearing a mask. Legal action should be taken if the mask is not worn or hygiene is violated
13. Isolation of COVID affected/symptoms should be ensured. Others who come in close contact with a person infected with Covid-19 also need to ensure quarantine
14. All government and non-government offices, institutions, industries and factories except those engaged in emergency services should be managed by 50 percent manpower. Pregnant, sick, senior officers and employees above the age of 55 should stay at home and arrangements must be taken for ‘home office’.
15. Meetings, seminars, training, workshops should be arranged online as much as possible.
16. Proper hygiene must be ensured for any type of public examination that is required to appear in person.
17. Hotels and restaurants with more than 50 percent capacity should be avoided.
18. At the time of entry and stay in the workplace, it is mandatory to wear a mask and ensure compliance with other hygiene rules.
