ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar on Wednesday announced that the government is lifting all coronavirus-related restrictions in the country.
Addressing a press conference along with Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr. Faisal Sultan, he said that coronavirus cases in the country are constantly declining, while 70% of the population has been vaccinated.
Umar said that during the NCOC meeting today, the situation of the pandemic was reviewed in detail and it was observed that since the last eight weeks the positivity ratio has been declining and the number of patients in critical care units is also declining.
The federal minister was of the view that the pandemic is not over yet; however, it is in its “ending phase.”
Shedding light on the vaccination, he said that around 87% of the population has taken the first jab of the vaccine.
“Keeping in view all of this we now need a transition to move towards a normal life because it seems like the pandemic will continue and become a part of the day-to-day life,” he said, announcing that all restrictions have been lifted. He added, however, that all restrictions on those not vaccinated against the coronavirus would remain.
On Tuesday, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) data showed that 493 COVID-19 cases were reported in the last 24 hours while the positivity ratio was 1.42%.
Earlier, the government had also decided to shut down the NCOC by the end of next month and the responsibilities of the NCOC will be carried out by the National Institute of Health.
