The National Command Operation Center (NCOC) on Saturday announced to open hotels, restaurants, and tourism spots with new standard operating procedures (SOPs) from Monday, May 24, 2021.

According to 24NewsHD TV channel, the NCOC decided to open tourism under new guidelines for the tourists and hotels managements. 

Termed the people visiting tourist places must be healthy, the NCOC made it compulsory for tourist to show their negative report of Corona with the National Identity Card for reservations of hotels and guest houses.

While vaccinated persons would be required to submit their authentic vaccination certificate and after June 01, 2021, the hotel management would not book rooms for persons of 50 years of age and above without their vaccination certificate.

The NCOC also announced that passengers arriving at the entrances of tourist destinations should fill a Health Declaration Forms, as well as masks and sanitisers, which would also be mandatory for all. 

Tour operators and hotel management would be required to provide all passenger data to the district administration, the NCOC said adding that travellers from abroad will be required to follow the national police of Covid-test, quarantine and vaccination in Pakistan.

On the other hand, the All Pakistan Restaurants Association held a meeting in Karachi and criticized the government for imposing heavy fines on violation of SOPs.

The association’s convener Waqqas Azeem said that they would open hotels and restaurants from May 24 as the rents of their businesses were not compromised by the owners of the properties so the Sindh government should also allow them to open their hotels and restaurants.

Reporter Saba Bajeer