Sindh imposes lockdown till Aug.8 as COVID-19 cases rise
Inter-city travel banned; all markets will remain closed; businesses associated with the export sector will be allowed to operate; unvaccinated govt employees will not be issued salaries ater Aug.31
The Sindh government on Friday decided to impose a lockdown in the province from Saturday till Aug.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.
According to a handout issued, restrictions will remain in place till Aug.8. However, businesses associated with the export sector will be allowed to operate.
The key decisions included: 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 government offices will be closed from next week; and unvaccinated government employees will not be issued salaries ater Aug.31.
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 Aug. 31.
The decisions come ater 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 that Pakistan should pursue smart lockdowns, a strategy which had succeeded in the past.
However, earlier 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 combating 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.
Doctors atending the 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 ater Eid Al Adha.
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 admited 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 23 per cent, 14.52 per cent in Hyderabad and 2.9 per cent in Sukkur.
The chief minister said that in Karachi, the highest positivity rate was recorded in East district at 33 per cent, followed by 21 per cent in Korangi district and 19 per cent in West district. South and Malir districts reported a positivity rate of 17 per cent 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.
According to Aga Khan University Hospital, there is almost 100% prevalence of the Delta variant in the city, the chief executive of the province said.
Out of a population of 220 million, more than 27.8 million have received one vaccine shot, but only 5.9 million have been fully vaccinated, according to the NCOC.
Earlier, the NCOC said that Pakistan will ban air travel for anyone without a COVID-19 vaccine certificate from Aug.1 and will require all public sector workers to get vaccinated by Aug.31.
From Aug. 31, unvaccinated staff will no longer be allowed to enter government offices, schools, restaurants or shopping malls, said Umar.
Teachers and students above 18, public transport and retail staff will also be required to get vaccinated. “If you’re not vaccinated you can’t go to teach at schools and colleges from Aug.1,” Umar said on Thursday.