LAHORE: Punjab government on Monday imposed smart lockdown in more neighbourhoods of Lahore, Sialkot, and Rawalpindi in view of a spike in Covid-19 cases there.
Government statistics showed Punjab registered 1,191 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, a day after registering 1,653 fresh cases — its highest daily rise since June last, the latest in a steady rise in infections in recent weeks after months of limited spread.
The last time the densely populated province reported such a high number of cases was during the first wave on June 24 when it confirmed 1,655 infections.
The Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department secretary announced on Monday, through a notification, restrictions in 15 hotspots in Rawalpindi, 13 in Lahore, and six in Sialkot.
All shopping malls, restaurants, private and government workplaces located in these areas will remain closed during the period.
The smart lockdown is imposed to limit the social movement in the hotspots and to protect the people living in close proximity from Covid-19.
In any urgency, only one person of the family is allowed to go out and/or use one vehicle as all kinds of gatherings and meetings will remain suspended.
Medical services such as pharmacies, laboratories, medical stores, collection centres, hospitals and clinics will remain open round the clock.
Whereas dairy shops, chicken, meat, and fish shops, as well as bakeries, will operate between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm.
Grocery stores, general stores, flour mills, fruit and vegetable shops, tandoors, and fuel pumps will remain open between 9:00 am and 7:00 pm.
The danger of coronavirus has not yet subsided therefore precautionary measures to protect oneself from the pandemic need to be taken, the notification read.
PUNJAB CONTRIBUTING TO 55PC OF TOTAL DEATHS:
A National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) meeting was informed on Monday that Punjab was contributing to 55 percent of the national Covid-19 mortality rate.
In the last 24 hours, the province reported 16 deaths due to coronavirus-related complications, raising total casualties to 5,769.
Punjab, after it reported fresh infections, now has 186,659 confirmed cases. The authorities conducted 22,916 tests receiving back a positivity rate of 5.2 percent.
There were 943 new recoveries recorded, leaving 170,695 fully recovered, and 10,195 active cases of the virus.
During its meeting, the forum expressed concern over the rising positivity rate. But it appreciated the provinces for taking prudent action for disease control through high-impact interventions.
The nation on Monday reported 2,253 new infections of the novel coronavirus after conducting 44,061 tests, receiving back a positivity ratio of 5.11 percent.
Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, who also heads the NCOC, said that the government could increase the $150 million allocated for the purchase of coronavirus vaccines if it were required, dispelling a statement by the National Health Services (NHS) that the government did not plan to purchase any vaccines.
“We have aggressively planned to vaccinate at least 60-70 percent of 110 million eligible people,” he said, adding that procurement of vaccines would not be halted “due to monetary considerations.”
Last week, the government launched a Covid-19 vaccination for the general public, starting with older people, as it grappled with a high degree of vaccination hesitancy among the people, even among health workers.
According to a survey released earlier this month, nearly half of healthcare staff had concerns over the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine, which is the only one available in Pakistan for now.
The drive began with a focus on the oldest people in the community, generally, over the age of 80, Health Minister Dr Faisal Sultan said at the time. “We will work our way down in the coming days.”
