MIRPUR: People across Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Tuesday mostly acted upon the prohibitory orders as the first day of the three-week complete lockdown went underway from last midnight to control the spread of coronavirus.
It was not a curfew-like situation as individuals were allowed to move out for purchasing edibles. The streets were, however, gave deserted looks, as the shops, shopping malls and major business centers remained closed except the shops of edibles including bakery items, milk, vegetables and fruits, besides medical stores. All kind of private and public service vehicles stayed in inter-city, inter-provincial and national routes to and from Azad Jammu Kashmir whole of the first day of the lock-down.
All universities, schools and colleges remained shutdown, besides the closure of offices of all private and public-sector departments across AJK.
Thousands of the travelers hailing from Pakistan and AJK remained stranded at in various parts of the country and AJK as no private or public service vehicles plied to and from AJK.
This APP correspondent went around various streets of the city of Mirpur, where the officials of law enforcement agencies, including police and civil administration, were found vigilant to ensure the complete imposition of the lockdown across the district. However, they seemed to be lenient to some extent as several bikers with pillion riders were seen on the city roads.
Like other parts of the country, the AJK government has imposed the three-week lockdown with certain measures on emergency grounds to ensure social distancing and self-quarantine to discourage the emergence of new cases of the epidemic.
AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider had, in a televised address on Monday, made it clear that the recently-promulgated prohibitory orders, would neither be curfew nor lockdown situation but be a precautionary step to help stop the spread of deadly coronavirus.
Journalists were exempted to move, during the lockdown, for the performance of their professional duties.
