ISLAMABAD: The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has issued new COVID-19 guidelines for Eidul Azha, declaring COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for all staff and traders at cattle markets ahead of Eidul Adha.
According to an official communique released by the authority today (Sunday), all cattle markets will be set up outside the cities with adherence to SOPs. Moreover, NCOC imposed a ban on the sale and purchase of animals within cities.
The coronavirus monitoring body also directed the markets’ administration to provide hand sanitisers, masks, and the facility of rapid antigen tests at the premises.
Separately, the NCOC statement also gave updates on Pakistan’s inoculation campaign and said that more than 16.7 million vaccine doses had been administered. It added that “more than 830,000 vaccine doses were administered in June,” it added.
The authority further informed that a team led by the director general of the NCOC also visited Gilgit-Baltistan to review the overall coronavirus situation and vaccination progress in the region.
“The delegation inspected vaccination centres in Gilgit, Shigar and Hunza and assured locals that the NCOC had decided to fully vaccinate the registered populations,” it added. The statement said a special team was also formed to stem Covid-19’s spread in GB and improve the vaccination process.
On June 28, the Ministry of National Health issued guidelines for Eidul Azha, warning that new variants of coronavirus might initiate a fourth wave of the pandemic because of a lot of activities during the auspicious occasion.
The guidelines are far less restrictive than seen during the previous Eidul Fitr, which was observed in the middle of May, amid the third wave of the infectious disease. Thanks to strict implementation of the Covid-19 SOPs, the cases continued to decline.
