The government in Punjab has allowed the reopening of shopping malls from Monday. So far the province has recorded 13,571 cases of COVID-19, almost 6,900 of which are in Lahore.

Punjab Minister of Industry and Commerce Mian Muhammad Aslam Iqbal said on Friday that the shopkeepers would need to wear masks and use hand sanitizers. At mall entrances, customers will have their temperatures tested by a thermal device.

Automotive industry production units were permitted to work during the week, while showrooms could operate from Monday to Thursday for four days.

Multiple shops and markets were sealed in Lahore on Thursday for not following SOPs from the government.

Meanwhile, heath experts have cautioned that if people do not stay home and adhere to social distance, the virus will infect a large chunk of Pakistan’s population.