Pakistan imposes fines for not wearing masks, bans indoor weddings

Tariq Butt, Correspondent

Indoor weddings have been banned in Pakistan in the latest restrictions imposed by the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) amid spike in COVID-19 cases.

The NCOC has also decided to impose fines for not wearing face masks in public spaces.

The measure is part of the latest guidelines issued by the NCOC late on Friday, which also includes a ban on indoor marriages and allowing "work from home" for 50 per cent the staff in public and private institutions.

While the wearing of mask and 'work from home' policies have been made mandatory throughout the country from Saturday onwards, the ban on indoor marriages will be enforced from Nov.20.

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An official notification said that major cities with "high positivity and higher disease spread potential" have been asked to enforce the ban. "Only outdoor marriages allowed with upper limit of 1,000 persons.”

A senior NCOC official said that since 16 major cities of the country were highly sensitive due to the high COVID-19 positivity, the "non-pharmaceutical interventions" (NPIs) or new guidelines would remain in force till January 2021.

The cities are Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Multan, Hyderabad, Gilgit, Muzzafarabad, Mirpur, Peshawar, Quetta, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur and Abbottabad.

The NCOC also ordered the implementation of Gilgit-Baltistan model of the enforcement of wearing masks from Saturday (Nov.7).

In GB, failure to do so results in a penalty of Rs100 and three masks issued on the spot. Authorities have been advised to issue similar penalties in these locations.

Supplementing the NCOC measures, the Karachi administrator issued fresh standard operating procedures (SOPs), making the wearing of mask mandatory at public places – and ordered a fine of up to Rs500 in case of violation.

Additionally, public and private offices have been told to implement a 50 per cent "work from home" policy.

Essential services such as medical stores, clinics and hospitals will remain open.