Pandemic continues to affect lawmakers, health workers.

PESHAWAR -- The Covid-19 pandemic continued to hit lawmakers and health professionals as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani, MPAs Sumaira Shams and Ayesha Bani and director of Hayatabad Medical Complex Dr Faisal Shehzad tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday.

Dr Shahid Younas, chief of health sector reforms unit at health secretariat, has also tested positive for Covid-19. He has been actively involved in Covid-19 related activities and has now been quarantined himself Chief Minister Mahmood Khan expressed concerns on the increasing number of Covid-19 patients and urged people to realise the sensitivity of the issue and strictly adhere to the precautionary measures and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued by the government to contain mass scale outbreak of the pandemic.

In a statement, he termed strict adherence to the SOPs of vital importance and the only effective way to stem tide of the pandemic.

He said that in case of violation of SOPs, the administration would be left with no option but to take strict action.

PA speaker, MPAs and HMC director test positive for Covid-19

'The premises where SOPs are not being implemented would be closed down,' said the chief minister. He appealed to the people to behave in a responsible manner and strictly follow the safety measure to make themselves and others safe from the virus.

He said that in view of the difficulties faced by the people, especially the vulnerable segments of society, the government had decided to ease the lockdown subject to implementation of SOPs. He added that violation of SOPs would prove disastrous in the prevailing situation.

Mr Khan also urged traders and the transporters to play their important role and extent cooperation to the administration in getting the SOPs implemented.

'As long as the pandemic exists, we...