Shopkeepers sit along a closed market after a shutdown was imposed in a bid to prevent a surge in Covid-19 cases during Eid in Rawalpindi on Saturday. AFP
RAWALPINDI: As per the directives of the government to impose Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs), all shops and markets were closed for a week on Saturday.
Traders in Raja Bazaar and adjoiningmarketsin the garrison city kept their shops closed. In the morning, however, shopkeepers in Bara Market tried to open their shops but they had to pull down the shutters soon after arrival of army and police personnel.
However, most of the shopkeepers in Bara Market remained present in the area waiting for a call from the traders association to open the shops. In the meanwhile, stallholders did a roaring business. In Raja Sultan Market, police sealed some shops after they were found open. Mostly workshop owners had opened their shops in the morning. A complete shutdown was observed in the cantonment areas, including Saddar, Cha