Peshawar’s Nishtar Hall closed indefinitely as coronavirus cases rise

Nishtar Hall in Peshawar, the city’s only auditorium and theatre, was closed down indefinitely on Monday after coronavirus cases across Pakistan rose.

The hall was closed after the National Command and Operation Centre issued a notification imposing a ban on gatherings at wedding halls in big cities from November 20.

Political, social and religious ceremonies are commonly held at Nishtar Hall.

The NCOC has issued a new set of guidelines as the country fights the second wave of the novel coronavirus.

People will only be allowed to hold weddings and other ceremonies in open spaces. A maximum of 1,000 people will be allowed to attend.

The NCOC has also decided to instruct government and private institutions to cut their workforce in half. Only 50% of their employees will work at offices while the rest will work from home.

A fine will also be imposed on people not wearing masks.

The virus has so far claimed 6,977 lives in Pakistan, according to official figures. On October 28, Prime Imran Khan’s Special Assistant on Health Dr Faisal Sultan had announced that the second wave of the deadly virus has started in the country.

During a media briefing, he said health authorities were receiving 700 to 750 cases of coronavirus per day and the mortality rate had also increased. In the last 24 hours, over 1,600 cases were reported nationwide.