Govt issues 18-point directive to contain spread of Covid-19

Coronavirus illustration

The government has issued 18-point directives including running all offices and factories with half of the manpower to contain the spread of novel coronavirus in the country.

In this regard the government issued a gazette notification on Monday.

According to the gazette signed by the prime minister's principal secretary Ahmad Kaikaus, these decisions will be in force from now on across the country and remain effective for next two weeks.

1. All types of social, political and religious gatherings have been restricted. If necessary, public gatherings will be prohibited in the areas of high infection risk.

2. In all worship places including mosques, health guidelines have to be followed.

3. Public gathering at tourist spots, recreation centres, cinemas and theatres have to be limited and arranging of all types of fairs will be discouraged.

4. Health guidelines have to be maintained in public transport and buses cannot carry more than half of their capacity of passengers.

5. The movement of inter-district transport has to be limited in the areas of high risk of infection, and if necessary transport has to be shutdown.

6. 14-day quarantine of returnees has to be ensured.

7. Following health guidelines, daily necessaries have to be bought and sold at open spaces.

8. Compliance of health guidelines include wearing masks has to be ensured at the health centres.

9. Both buyers and sellers have to abide by health guidelines at the shopping malls.

10. All educational institutions and coaching centres across the country will remain closed.

11. Unnecessary outings after 10:00pm has to be restricted.

12. Health guidelines have to be maintained fully in case of going out. In this case, measures will be taken in accordance with the law if anyone goes out without wearing masks and flouting the health guidelines.

13. Isolation of infected or suspected persons has to be ensured and those who came in contact with the infected persons have to go into isolation too.

14. Except organisations delivering emergency services, all government and private offices, organisations, factories have to be run with 50 per cent of manpower. Steps have to be taken so that sick, pregnant and people above 55 years of old can work from home.

15. Meetings, seminars, training and workshops have to be organised online.

16. The compliance of health guidelines has to be ensured in case of any public examination in which candidates are bound to attend physically.

17. Hotels and restaurants can cater to half their capacity of customers.

18. All health guidelines including wearing masks have to be maintained at workplaces.