On January 5, a Vice and Virtue Department official came and asked women that we have one week to take away our shops and sit at home, a woman shopkeeper said, reports TOLO News on January 9. An official of the Provincial Department, Sayed Zahir, told TOLO News that the shops were closed due to co-working with men and lack of observing hijab by women. This comes after women were banned from working in Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Afghanistan, a decision that triggered global reactions.