The Nat­ional Coordination Commi­ttee (NCC) on COVID-19 on Thu­rsday decided to lift restrictions on tourism sector from Aug 8 and on restaurants and transport sector from Aug 10 and gave a timetable for opening some other sectors, including educational institutions and marriage halls.

A meeting of the NCC presided over by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and attended by representatives of all the provinces also decided to lift restrictions on railways, airlines and metro buses. However, restrictions on the number of people allowed to travel by trains, planes and buses and the mandatory gap between the passengers will remain in place till September. These will be lifted by October if the situation allowed.

These restrictions were enforced on March 16 to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

“Restaurants and cafes, outdoor and indoor, will be allowed to open from 10th August and standard operating procedures (SOPs) will be finalised in next two to three days. Moreover, public parks, theatres, cinemas, amusement parks, arc­a­des, expo centres and bea­uty parlours will also be allowed to open from Mon­day,” Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar said at a media briefing after the NCC meeting.

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