ISLAMABAD: The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has decided to extend the anti-coronavirus restrictions from 13 cities to 27 cities across Pakistan citing the pressure on the healthcare system.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the NCOC said the decision to extend the scope of the standard operation procedures (SOPs) was taken in light of an increase in coronavirus cases in Pakistan, with positivity rates in double digits in several cities.
The cities where these SOPs will be implemented include Islamabad; Khanewal, Mianwali, Sargodha, Khushab, Bahawalpur, Multan, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, Lahore and Rahim Yar Khan in Punjab; Hyderabad and Karachi in Sindh; Muzaffarabad and Mirpur in Azad Kashmir; Gilgit and Skardu in Gilgit-Baltistan; Peshawar, Swat, Haripur, Mansehra, Lower Dir, Swabi, Abbottabad, Swat and Chitral Lower in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to the statement, the restrictions would entail:
- All commercial activities — except essential services — to be closed at 8pm
- Two days in a week to be observed as safe days
- Ban on indoor dining; outdoor dining allowed (till 10pm),
- Ban on indoor wedding ceremonies; outdoor wedding ceremonies with 300 guests allowed (till 10pm)
- Ban on visiting shrines
- Cinemas to remain closed
- Normal working hours for public and private offices with 50 percent staff attendance
- Public transport to operate with 50pc occupancy; rail services to operate with 70pc
- Amusement parks and swimming pools will remain closed
- Educational institutions across the country to remain open three days a week
The press release said the NCOC will conduct a review of the SOPs on September 13. The fourth wave of the coronavirus continues to rage across Pakistan due to the presence of the Delta variant that was first detected in India.
On Sunday, Pakistan reported 3,909 new cases of coronavirus during the past 24 hours, taking the tally for confirmed cases to 1,152,441.
The country’s official coronavirus statistics website (covid.gov.pk) reveals that in the last 24 hours, 62,918 coronavirus tests were conducted across the country out of which 3,909 turned out to be positive.
Meanwhile, the rate of coronavirus positive cases in the country was reported to be 6.21% in the 24 hours. According to the official portal, the number of deaths from the disease in the country has reached 25,604
