ISLAMABAD: Authorities have identified and sealed off nearly 1,300 coronavirus hotspots across the country on Saturday to contain the rising trajectory of new infections.
The sealing of high-risk areas comes as government’s Covid-19 portal reported 6,472 new cases in the last 24 hours, the country’s highest single-day total.
Pakistan has reported 132,405 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, including 2,551 deaths since its first case emerged on Feb 26.
After initially imposing a countrywide lockdown, the government has now eased restrictions, saying it was necessary to save the country’s economy, but it has caused a surge in infections.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has resisted demands from experts to reinforce the lockdown, citing the teetering economy. Authorities, however, are now using the term “smart lockdown” to close shops and markets and force people to stay home in areas where confirmed cases have increased in recent weeks.
The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) was told on Saturday that smart lockdowns had been enforced in 1,292 localities across the country during the last 24 hours to prevent the further spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The NCOC was also apprised that a total of 308,600 people were affected due to the imposition of smart lockdowns in different areas.
In the federal capital, the smart lockdown was imposed in sectors G-9/2 and G-9/3 along with Karachi Company (G9 Markaz) in the last 24 hours. The forum was told that total 10 localities in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), having population of 60,000 population, were under smart lockdown.
It was also informed that the federal and provincial authorities were ensuring compliance to health guidelines/instructions, particularly regarding workplaces, industrial sector, transport, markets and shops, besides pursuing the Track, Trace and Quarantine (TTQ) strategy.
The NCOC was told that the smart lockdown was enforced in 844 areas of Punjab in the last 24 hours. Similarly, the lockdown was imposed in 414 localities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with a population of 11,000, seven localities in Sindh with a population of 7,000, 12 areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and five areas in Gilgit-Baltistan.
The NCOC meeting was told that over 13,116 violations of health guidelines/instructions were observed across Pakistan in the last 24 hours. Punitive actions were taken against some 1,541 markets/shops, 33 industrial units and 1,429 transport vehicles.
In the Islamabad Capital Territory, 44 hotels, 120 shops, and seven industrial units and seven workshops were sealed and 42 transport vehicles banned due to over 255 SOPs violations. Likewise, 163 markets and shops were sealed, and 170 transport vehicles fined over 1,037 violations of SOPs in the AJK. Similarly, 37 shops/markets and 15 industrial units were sealed/closed, and 83 transport vehicles fined over 231 violations in Gilgit-Baltistan.
In KP, 122 transport vehicles were fined with 239 shops/markets sealed/closed owing to 5,798 violations, while 820 shops and nine industrial units were closed/sealed, and 776 transport vehicles fined over 3,753 violations in Punjab.
Likewise, 217 transport vehicles were fined, and 81 shops and one industrial unit were closed/sealed over 1,306 violations of SOPs in Sindh, while action was taken against 81 shops/markets, one industrial unit and 217 transport vehicles over 736 violations in Balochistan.
