Sindh govt announces closure of grocery shops at 5pm from tomorrow.

KARACHI -- With the local transmission of novel coronavirus reaching 10% of the total positive tests in Sindh, the provincial authorities have decided to curtail three hours in the operating during of grocery shops and stores from Saturday (tomorrow).

Earlier, the Sindh government had decided to close the shops from 8pm to 8am, but now groceries stores will be shut from 5pm to 8am as 440 cases of the contagious disease have emerged across the province.

'We have to contain the spread of virus by necessary precautionary measures and by also honouring the government's decision of lockdown,' Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said while expressing concern over the increase in local transmission of COVID-19 cases.

The decision was taken in a meeting presided over by the chief minister at the CM House in Karachi, which was attended by Minister Health Dr Azra Pechuho, Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, DG Rangers Major General Omar Bukhari, Home Secretary Usman Chachar, Brigadier Sami of Corps 5 and Dr Bari of Indus Hospital.

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Talking about the locally transmitted cases, CM Shah mentioned there were 168 cases of coronavirus, excluding of pilgrims in Sukkur, Larkana, of them 102 were of locally transmitted. 'This shows that the local transmission is still in progress, therefore, we all have to observe complete lockdown, otherwise we will not be in a position to control it.'

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