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The Sindh government has decided to impose a lockdown in the province from tomorrow (Saturday) till August 8 amid rising Covid-19 cases.
The decision was taken during a provincial coronavirus task force meeting presided over by Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Friday.
According to a handout issued by the CM’s office, restrictions will remain in place till August 8. However, businesses associated with the export sector will be allowed to operate.
Key decisions
- There will be a ban on inter-city travel
- All markets will remain closed. Pharmacies, however, will remain open
- Businesses associated with the export sector will be allowed to operate
- Vaccination cards of citizens roaming the streets will be checked
- All govt offices will be closed from next week
- Unvaccinated govt employees will not be issued salaries after August 31
There will be a ban on inter-city travel and all markets will remain closed. Pharmacies, however, will remain open.
Addressing the meeting, the chief minister said that the vaccination cards of citizens roaming the streets would be checked during the lockdown and all government offices would be closed from next week.
He warned that unvaccinated government employees would not be issued salaries after August 31.
The decisions come a day after federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar rejected the idea of closing down entire cities to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Umar, who is also the head of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), said on Thursday that Pakistan should pursue smart lockdowns, a strategy which had succeeded in the past.
However, earlier today the NCOC announced that that the forum “critically reviewed” the disease spread in Karachi and decided to take all possible measures to assist the provincial government in combatting the rise in cases.
“The measures being undertaken by the federal government include ramping up critical care capacity, including oxygenated beds and vents, availability of oxygen and deployment of law enforcement agencies for implementation of SOPs and non-pharmaceutical interventions,” the forum said.
‘Situation could turn terrifying’
Doctors attending today’s meeting warned participants that the Covid-19 situation in the province could turn “terrifying” and sounded alarm over the increasing pressure on hospitals as well as the rapid spread of the highly contagious Delta variant as cases continue to rise after Eidul Azha.
Sindh Health Secretary Dr Kazim Jatoi informed the meeting that a positivity rate of 13.7 per cent was recorded in the province, while 39,958 active cases had been reported as of Friday. He said 1,410 of the patients were admitted to hospitals, 1,192 were critically ill and 102 were on ventilators.
The health secretary said that the positivity rate in Karachi during the last 24 hours was 23pc, 14.52pc in Hyderabad and 2.9pc in Sukkur.
The chief minister said that in Karachi, the highest positivity rate was recorded in East district at 33pc, followed by 21pc in Korangi district and 19pc in West district.
South and Malir districts reported a positivity rate of 17pc each, he said.
The meeting was also told that 469 Covid-19 patients had died in Karachi during the last 29 days, of which 323 had been on ventilators while 50 died at their homes.
Pakistan reports more than 4,500 Covid cases, highest since April 30
The more transmissible Delta variant — first detected in India — is believed to be responsible for the country’s fourth Covid-19 wave.
The variant, scientists say, has features that allow it to evade some of the body’s immune system defences. Plus, it has the highest transmissibility of any variant so far.
On Friday, Pakistan recorded its biggest daily increase in Covid-19 cases since April 30, when 4,745 cases were reported in the country.
As many as 4,537 infections were reported against 58,203 tests over the past 24 hours, according to the NCOC. This is also the third consecutive day that the country has reported over 4,000 cases. The total number of cases in the country is 1,024,861.
Further, 86 coronavirus-related deaths were also reported during this period, taking the total to 23,295.
Earlier this week, President Arif Alvi had sounded alarm over the rapid increase in Covid-19 cases and had urged citizens to “get serious”.
“Cases have shot up post-Eid. I was expecting and warning about it as I saw carelessness in [the] streets, bazaars, [and at] weddings and mosques,” he had said, calling upon the people to “pull their act together” and follow SOPs.
He had also urged Pakistanis to get vaccinated. “Don’t let the recent gains towards stability [be] sacrificed on the alter of neglect. You are a rising nation, so the important test is to ‘rise to the occasion’,” he had said.