Tag: #restaurants

  • Who are these people who get ready, go to restaurants to take pictures: Momina Iqbal reveals social media traps

    Who are these people who get ready, go to restaurants to take pictures: Momina Iqbal reveals social media traps

    Momina Iqbal has advised people not to trust what they see on social media about famous people’s lives, stressing that it’s often fake.

    The actress appeared as a guest on a TV show during Ramazan.
    During the interview, she said that what famous people show on social media about their daily lives isn’t always true.
    She asked fans and social media users not to believe everything they see online.

    “I was talking to my friend the other day and I said, ‘Who are these people who wake up in the morning, get ready, and go to restaurants to take pictures?’ I’m discussing something overall here that’s going on in our social media. They get ready, take pictures, and post them. We don’t even wake up in the morning; we just keep sleeping. I mean, if it’s my day off, I just stay in bed and read. If I feel like getting up, then I want to tell everyone that social media isn’t what you all are seeing. I also receive a lot of messages. Sometimes, I post pictures from last week, and no one knows what’s going on.”

    Momina emphasized that social media isn’t what people think it is. “It’s not the reality of the present moment. Anything people see us doing at home or seeing other people doing is sometimes taken in a negative way. Like, how much fun are they really having in their lives? But what we see filled with joy isn’t necessarily true. We also just sit at home and read.”

  • Sindh govt revises restaurant timings for outdoor dining, takeaways

    Sindh govt revises restaurant timings for outdoor dining, takeaways

    The home department of Sindh government has released new COVID-related instructions allowing take-aways and deliveries of restaurants till 1 am.

    The notification reads that the restaurants can provide dine out service until 10 pm while they can facilitate customers for take-away services for up to an hour into the midnight.

    Previously, the restaurants were only allowed to operate  till 10 pm for dine-out, take-aways and deliveries.

    The notification is valid until January 31.

  • Islamabad bans indoor dining in hotels, restaurants

    Islamabad bans indoor dining in hotels, restaurants

    The Capital Administration has imposed a ban on indoor dining in restaurants and hotels on Tuesday after a surge in COVID-19 cases.

    Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Mohammad Hamza Shafqaat said the order was issued in pursuant to decisions of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) and under the Epidemic Diseases Act. He added that restaurants and hotels will be allowed to serve food in an outdoor setup and takeaway.

    The deputy commissioner said all assistant commissioners and subdivisional magistrates would remain in the field to ensure the ban is implemented.

    The city recorded six more deaths and 283 positive cases in the last 24 hours.

  • Restaurants, marriage halls majorly contributing to coronavirus spread

    Restaurants, marriage halls majorly contributing to coronavirus spread

    Six marriage halls and 103 restaurants were sealed in Karachi for violating coronavirus SOPs. 

    According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), six marriage halls and 103 restaurants were sealed in the port city over neglecting coronavirus SOPs.

    Federal Minister for Planning and Development and Chairman NCOC, Asad Umar said indoor restaurants and marriage halls appear to be majorly contributing to the COVID-19 spread.

    “NCOC today has directed all provinces and federating units to crack down on SOPs violations in these places, the minister said in his tweet. We must not allow the irresponsible behavior of some to put the health of everyone at risk,” he said further. 

    On Thursday, authorities in Karachi had also announced a micro smart lockdown in various parts for two weeks after cases of COVID-19 increased in the city.

  • Corona times: What’s next for educational institutes, wedding industry, restaurants and cinemas?

    Corona times: What’s next for educational institutes, wedding industry, restaurants and cinemas?

    The spread of coronavirus in Pakistan has decreased significantly. In June, Pakistan ranked 12th on the list of the countries hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, but within two months, it has improved its ranking with a drop in both the number of daily infections and fatalities.

    Not only the drop but anti-corona efforts of Pakistan’s government which led to it are being praised internationally as president-elect of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Volkan Bozkir, has termed the same a “good example for the world to follow”.

    The decline in COVID-19 cases has been followed by the government allowing to reopen all sectors that had been closed for months, excluding educational institutions and marriage halls. The two are likely to reopen on September 15, after a final review by authorities concerned on September 7. 

    While it’s still difficult to estimate the economic losses Pakistan suffered due to the global pandemic, it can be said that people associated with educational institutions, wedding halls, cinemas and restaurants were more vulnerable amid lockdowns.

    EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS:

    Pakistan’s 317,328 educational institutions have remained closed for the past six months and as a result, more than 40 million students are suffering. Teachers, on the other hand, and other staffers have no source of income. While many have been sacked by private institutions, some private school owners such as Muhammad Danish from Karachi, who had been running the school for the past 14 years, has now been forced to set up a biryani stall at his own school.

    While reopening of the institutions still is to be decided upon, experts believe it will be hard to bounce back from the current situation and that with extra precautions.

    WEDDING INDUSTRY:

    As the second most-affected industry remains wedding, marriage halls have been served a severe blow. According to Punjab Marriage Halls Association President Khalid Idrees, as many as 12,000 marriage halls run the households of over four million staffers and management members in Punjab alone, all of whom have been jobless since March.

    Trends suggest that a number of people are awaiting the new wedding world order to once again resort to huge gatherings or continue shifting towards smaller, simpler functions.

    RESTAURANT SECTOR:

    Meanwhile, as the restaurant sector also remains affected by COVID-19, Arab News reported that 30% to 40% of restaurants in Lahore have shut down permanently.

    Admin of popular food blog Foodies ‘R Us, Asad Sheikh, believes some of the government-issued guidelines for coronavirus prevention are beyond comprehension as the dine-in capacity of restaurants being reduced by 50% would affect sales and ultimately leave owners with no other option but to prefer managing takeaways.

    CINEMAS & THEATRES:

    In the case of another hard-hit industry, cinema and theatre owners are not yet ready to implement social distancing SOPs for coronavirus either and ensuring limited seating capacity.

    While there are 160 cinemas in the country with almost 24,000 seating capacity, reopening to public at the cost of half their audiences would be unprofitable.

  • Restaurants, cinemas, parks to reopen on August 10

    Restaurants, cinemas, parks to reopen on August 10

    Federal Minister of Planning and Development Asad Umar while addressing a press conference has said that cinemas, theatres, public parks, and restaurants will be reopened from August 10 (Monday) under strict SOPs.

    According to details, Umar said that Pakistan has recorded a decline in cases of COVID-19.

    He said that Educational institutions are expected to reopen on September 15 but all the SOPs will be monitored on September 7.

    Marriage halls are opening on September 15 and the gym centers will also be allowed to open from August 10, added the minister.

  • Restaurants to remain open in Karachi for takeaway & home delivery services

    Restaurants to remain open in Karachi for takeaway & home delivery services

    Restaurants, hotels and ‘nanbais’ in Karachi have been granted permission to operate from 8 am to 5 pm.

    According to a notification issued by Commissioner Karachi, restaurants will be allowed to offer takeaway and home delivery services. However, dine-in is strictly prohibited.

    The government has also issued a number of SOPs which need to be followed. This includes following the proper procedure to ensure everything is disinfected. Every worker should be checked before entering the workplace.

    Commissioner Karachi has also made wearing face masks mandatory for those going outside their houses.

    “Face masks are mandatory for all people who come out of the houses for a valid reason or are exempted during the lockdown. The mask shall cover the nose, mouth and chin.”

    If symptoms of flu, cough or fever are found, he/she may be referred to the hospital immediately, the notification read.

    Meanwhile some areas of Karachi, where a large number of COVID-19 cases have been reported have been completely sealed by the Sindh government.

  • Karachi seals restaurants to curb coronavirus spread

    In a bid to control the spread of the coronavirus, the Karachi police is sealing large restaurants in the city.

    As per reports, the police have taken action in several areas, including Rashid Minhas Road, Gulistan-e-Jauhar and Keamari. They are also taking action against large gatherings of people.

    Earlier, the Sindh government had released advisories asking people to avoid going to crowded places and government officials had been requesting people to refrain from getting together and even celebrating wedding functions.

    On Saturday, Mayor Karachi Wasim Akhtar had announced that recreational sites in Karachi, including the Karachi Zoo, Safari Park and Landhi-Korangi Zoo, have been closed for the public for an indefinite period of time. All marriage halls, shrines and cinemas in the province have also been closed for the next three weeks.

    According to the latest reports, Pakistan has at least 84 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the country. At 76, Sindh has the highest number of cases. Two people have recovered.