ISLAMABAD: Following a surge in the number of fresh coronavirus infections, the Islamabad administration imposed smart lockdowns in several residential neighbourhoods to curtail the spread of the contagious disease.
The restrictions will be effective in from Monday, according to a notification issued from the office of Islamabad deputy commissioner Hamza Shafqaat.
“Subsectors 1-8/3, 1-8/4, G-9/1,G-10/4 and G-6/2 Islamabad are hereby sealed w.e.f. 10.00 A.M, 09.11.2020 in larger public interest arid until further orders,” read the notification.
“The exemptions to this order include essential services and supplies like pharmacy, patients for medical aid, rationing, drinking water supplies and emergency, etc,” it added further.
The notification called on capital police to cordon off the sub-sectors to ensure the spread of the virus is curbed.
“The Sub-Divisional Magistrates Industrial Area, City and Shalimar, ICT Islamabad are hereby directed to execute the orders in their subdivisions and to ensure uninterrupted supply of food/edibles inside the infield sub-sectors,” read the notification.
The health authorities have been sounding the alarm about a second wave of the virus for several weeks now. Daily infections and deaths are once more on the rise, raising fears that disease is making a comeback as the public becomes more apathetic toward social distancing measures.
Pakistan on Sunday reported 1,436 new cases and 25 deaths from coronavirus in the past 24 hours, with authorities imposing new restrictions to curb a second wave of the deadly disease.
According to data provided by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the total number of cases stood at 343,189, with 6,968 deaths recorded across the country.
Fresh restrictions — which will apply to the capital Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, and several other big cities — include a fine for not wearing a face mask and a ban on indoor wedding ceremonies starting on November 20. Outdoor weddings will be allowed with a maximum of 1,000 people.
Moreover, 50 per cent of the staff of all public and private offices will be asked to work from home.
The authorities also announced the closure of all parks and entertainment venues by 6:00 pm and markets, shopping centers, restaurants, and banquet halls by 10:00 pm nationwide.
Meanwhile, the country has yet to fully utilise its testing capacity of 73,572 and is currently testing significantly below numbers proposed by global health experts. According to the world Health Organisation (WHO), Pakistan’s testing policies likely only record the most symptomatic patients while ignoring the spread among asymptomatic carriers, which recent studies have suggested comprise the majority of infections in the country.
