Punjab government withdraws notification for parks reopening due to Covid-19 :

Punjab government withdraws notification for parks reopening due to Covid-19 :

LAHORE: The Punjab government has withdrawn a notification to reopen public and amusement parks in the province despite a declining Covid-19 trend.

The province's parks and horticulture department issued a notification earlier in the day to reopen the parks from 8:00 to 17:00.

It reads that those visiting recreational grounds should strictly enforce the coronavirus SOPs and anyone visiting without a face mask will not be allowed to enter the premises.

However, within an hour, the department withdrew the notification and issued new orders banning any activity in the parks.

The new decree states that any decision on the reopening of the parks is linked to the recommendations that will be received by the health secretary of Punjab.

It is pertinent to mention here that the public recreation areas in the Punjab provincial capital, Lahore, were opened after closing for 75 days on June 5th, 2020.

The day before the reopening, the Director General of the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA), Muzaffar Khan Sial, announced that the provincial government had decided to reopen public parks in Lahore. The opening hours will be from 6:00 to 21:00.

Sial added that they will be reopened according to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) finalized by the provincial health department. Citizens would be allowed to enter after wearing mandatory masks and gloves to follow the precautionary measures against the coronavirus.

DG PHA had called on citizens to strictly follow precautionary measures and social distancing when visiting public parks.