ISLAMABAD: The National Command and Operation Center has asked all the provinces to ensure strict implementation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) against Covid-19, warning of another lockdown if SOPs are continuously violated.
The NCOC in a meeting on Wednesday warned that businesses will have to face another lockdown and strict action will be taken against those violating the SOPs across the country.
The chief secretaries of all provinces were asked to ensure that SOPs are implemented strictly and special attention is paid to high-risk sectors like transport, markets, wedding halls, restaurants and public gatherings.
The NCOC underscored that the number of corona patients and deaths are on the rise again and stressed that strict monitoring of public gathering should be ensured to limit the increase in the number of cases.
“People should use masks and maintain social distance,” the statement issued by NCOC read.
The NCOC stated that the government will impose heavy fines on SOP violators, adding that if the SOPs are not implemented properly, services might have to be shut down. The coronavirus has killed 19 more people in Pakistan, taking the death toll to 6,692.
According to the National Command and Operations Center, 660 new cases of coronavirus have been reported in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 324,744. There are 9,378 coronavirus patients under treatment in Pakistan and 38,674 have recovered.
The coronavirus has killed 2,319 people in Punjab and 2,587 in Sindh. The death toll in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has risen to 1,265, in Islamabad 199, in Balochistan 148, in Gilgit-Baltistan 90, and in Azad Kashmir 84.
The number of coronavirus cases in Islamabad has reached 18,309. Around 101,936 cases have been reported in Punjab, 142,348 in Sindh, 38,779 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 15,717 in Balochistan, 4,091 in Gilgit-Baltistan, and 3,564 in Azad Kashmir.
There are facilities for coronavirus patients in 735 hospitals in Pakistan and the number of ventilators for coronavirus patients in hospitals is 1,920. There are 132 testing laboratories operating in the country and trace, test, and quarantine strategies are working effectively in several cities.
