With a considerable decrease in Covid-19 cases, the Punjab government on Sunday allowed the resumption of non-contact sports activities in the province with strict adherence to coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs).
According to a notification, the government has allowed the resumption of 30 non-contact sports activities from June 7 (today).
“Ban on 12 contact sports will remain in place,” reads the notification issued by the Punjab Sports Board.
The sports activities set to resume include cricket, gymnastics, basketball, volleyball, athletics, baseball, table tennis, badminton, swimming, snooker and other sports activities.
Earlier in the day, Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid said that commercial activities in the province are barred after 8:00pm as the Covid-19 positivity ratio has witnessed a decline owing to strict restrictions.
Addressing a presser, the health minister said that the province reported 403 positive cases during the past 24 hours, besides deaths of 49 people.
She urged the traders and shopkeepers to implement business hours announced by the government and said that strict SOPs would help in bringing down the Covid-19 positivity ratio.
Dr Yasmin while detailing ease in Covid-19 restrictions said that parks have been reopened in the province, however, indoor marriages are yet to be allowed. “The restrictions are meant to benefit the public rather than the government,” she said.
She further announced that the vaccination process in the Punjab province has been expedited. “180,000 people have been vaccinated in the province during the last 24 hours and the Covid situation will start improving once 50 percent of the 110 million population of the province is vaccinated,” Dr Yasmin Rashid said.
Rejecting vaccine shortage, she said that they have 1.8 million doses of Covid jabs available with them and as per reports 30 million more doses would reach Pakistan in the next few months.
“We will be vaccinating 400,000 people in a day by next month,” she said, adding that the province would also place an order for a vaccine worth Rs1.5 billion.
Earlier on May 29, the Punjab government decided to reopen public parks and resume water sports with strict adherence to the coronavirus-related standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Presiding over a meeting, Punjab Health Minister Dr. Yasmin Rashid said that the parks will be reopened to the public in the areas where the COVID-19 positivity rate is less than five per cent.
Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police (IG) Punjab Inam Ghani on Sunday said that nearly 50,000 of the cops have been administered Covid vaccine. “We have vaccinated 45,573 officials and personnel of the Punjab police against Covid-19,” he said.
The IG Punjab said that among those vaccinated, 18,588 are those aged between 50-60 age limit, and followed by 20,130 cops falling in the age criteria between 40 to 50 years. “6,855 cops aged between 30 and 40 years have been vaccinated in the province,” Inam Ghani said while stressing the need to vaccinate the entire police force as soon as possible.