RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) has appealed to the government to ease the smart lockdown. According to the National Command Operation Center (NCOC), the number of daily Corona cases has decreased. Lockdown on Eid and closure of inter-provincial and inter-city public transport have significantly reduced the number of corona cases.
RCCI President Mohammad Nasir Mirza in a statement said that the business community has been most affected by the corona. People in the hotel industry in particular have been hit hard. Restaurants, wedding halls and marquees should be allowed to open businesses under SOPs. There are thousands of people whose job is associated with these wedding halls and restaurants, he added. Wedding halls should be opened under specific /restricted number of guests and shall be allowed under SOPs, he appealed.
At the same time, the tourism sector and related industry has also faced big losses. He said that lockdown policy should be formulated in collaboration with stakeholders. We have to make a policy based on the ground realities. Weekly off should be abolished and daily shopping hours be increased, he added. Less working hours increase the rush in the markets, he said. Nasir Mirza said that like the rest of the world, we have to run business life along with COVID.
SOPs, masks and social distance should trade associations extend all possible cooperation for the implementation of the SOPs.
