LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on Monday said that there has been a “marked reduction” in the number of coronavirus cases reported from areas placed under smart lockdown.
In June, the Punjab government, on the directions of the National Command and Operations Center (NCOC), had imposed a selective lockdown on seven major cities including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala, Sialkot, and Gujrat to arrest the sharp increase in fresh cases.
In a tweet, the chief minister said that 10 to 15 coronavirus hotspots were sealed according to the prime minister’s ‘smart lockdown strategy’ which had resulted in a lower number of infections. “Random sampling also showed encouraging results. Many areas have been completely reopened.”
اب یہ ثابت ہو چکا ہے کہ جہاں عوام کی جانب سے حکومت کے دئیے گئے SOPs پر سختی سے عملدرآمد کیا جاتا ہے وہاں وائرس کا پھیلاؤ کم ہو جاتا ہے
امید ہے کہ شہری اس جنگ میں انتظامیہ کا ساتھ دیں گے اور SOPs پر عمل کر کے وائرس کے پھیلاؤ کو کم کرنے میں مدد کریں گے.#TogetherWeCan #COVID19 2/2
— Usman Buzdar (@UsmanAKBuzdar) July 6, 2020
The chief minister said that it has been “proven” that the spread of the virus is reduced in areas where people follow standard operating procedures (SOP) issued by the government.
Dozens of localities in Lahore were placed under restrictions. The entire Phase-1 and Phase-5 of the Defence Housing Authority (DHA), major areas of Gulberg (B1, B2, B3, A3), Johar Town (B, G3, J2 blocks,) Wapda Town (F2 and G blocks), entire Askari-10, parts of Cavalry Ground, Qila Gujjar Singh, Canal View (B Block), Daroghawala, localities falling on the backside of the Lahore General Hospital, Gulistan Colony and scores of smaller localities spread across the city would face the lockdown.
Punjab Health Minister Yasmin Rashid had told the media that more than 300 confirmed cases of Covid-19 had been recorded in each of these areas.
