ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s federal capital Islamabad has delayed the reopening of its businesses until Monday as it finalizes Covid-19 protocols and restrictions amid a consistent increase in virus cases, officials said on Saturday.

Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced the country would begin easing its lockdown in phases beginning Saturday with retailers, traders and industries to reopen but educational institutions and public transportation to remain closed.

“We have prepared SOPs [Standard Operating Procedures] for all businesses in consultation with relevant stakeholders to resume their activities,” Nauman Nazim, a spokesperson for the district administration told Arab News and said he was ‘hopeful’ businesses across the country would open on Monday.

“We will be allowing businesses to reopen from Monday, hopefully along with the provinces,” Nazim said and added: “The NCOC (National Command and Control Center) and the federal government want all the provinces and federal capital to ease lockdown restrictions on the same day.”

He added the administration would allow businesses to resume operations under certain precautions. 

“We don’t want the virus to spiral out of control, so businesses will be allowed under certain restrictions,” he added.

As part of these precautions, traders and retailers would be made to follow strict social distancing guidelines at their places of work and would disinfect their premises every day, he said.

Though Pakistan’s four provinces initially reported they would be following the center’s lead, southern Sindh province clarified on Saturday it would not be ending its lockdown on Monday.

Nazim said the district administration was in touch with the Prime Minister’s Office, and NCOC– an apex body comprising top civilian and military leadership to decide on coronavirus-related matters – to make a unanimous decision on the reopening of businesses.

The country has been observing a partial lockdown of its cities since March 23, with Islamabad city emerging with a registered 609 cases and four fatalities to date.

Dr. Zaeem Zia, district health officer in Islamabad, said the administration had, through contact tracing, so far tested around 1,731 individuals who came into contact with COVID-19 positive people and who carried the risk of infection to over 4,000 households.

“The number of cases will definitely increase in coming weeks as Islamabad has yet to reach its peak,” Zia told Arab News.