Islamabad : The Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) has called upon the government to extend the business timings in markets from current 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm and for food outlets/restaurants up to 12 midnight so that business activities could flourish smoothly that would help in reviving the overall economy.
Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry said that with the increase in vaccination of people, the average positivity rate of Covid-19 pandemic has now come down to 5.9% reflecting an improvement, therefore, it was important that the timings for businesses should be enhanced to give ample time to customers for shopping and avoid overcrowding in commercial areas.
Meanwhile, Ms. Fatma Azim, Senior Vice President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry along with a delegation of restaurants association held a meeting with NCOC authorities and stressed that indoor and outdoor dining in restaurants should be allowed as these restaurants all over the Middle East and most of the Europe were allowing indoor dining with acrylic or glass partitions between each table to maintain safe distance. She said that the restaurant associations and all shopping malls in Pakistan were also willing to install the same acrylic partitions to maintain social distancing between each table, therefore, they should be allowed indoor and outdoor dining up to 12 midnight.