LAHORE: Keeping in view the growing number of COVID-19 cases in Punjab, the provincial government on Tuesday decided to extend the ongoing smart lockdown till 15th of July.

According to Secretary Primary and Secondary Health Care Captain (Retd) Muhammad Usman, educational institutions, wedding halls, restaurants, parks and cinema halls will remain closed till Juloy 15 across the province. Social and religious gatherings, sports activities will not be allowed during lockdown.

The government, however, decided to allow the opening of low-risk businesses provided they followed the standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the authorities.

The small markets and shops will remain open between 9:00 am till 7:00 pm. These businesses will be allowed to run five days a week and remain closed on Saturday and Sunday. Medical stores puncture shops, Tandoors and agriculture workshops have been exempted from the restrictions. The intercity bus service has also been exempted from the restrictions.

723 new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) had been reported in Punjab in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of infections in the province to 75,501.

According to the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department, 46 more people had died due to complications related to the virus, taking the death toll in the province to 1,727.—NNI