KARACHI: The Sindh government on Sunday announced an end to the nine-day long lockdown as well as the new restrictions which would be applied in order to curb the spread of the virus during Pakistan’s fourth wave.
These new restrictions will apply from Monday, August 9, and shall carry through to the end of the month.
According to the update, all market and business related activities – – including standalone grocery stores, fish and meat shops, vegetable and fruit vendors, e-commerce, and bakeries – – will be allowed to continue till 8 pm.
Essential services will be allowed to remain open for longer. These include pharmacies, medical facilities, vaccination centres, petrol pumps, milk shops, and tandoors.
Indoor dining will not be allowed, while outdoor dining will be limited to a maximum of 300 people till 10 pm and must strictly follow the Covid prevention guidelines.
However, takeaway and home delivery are allowed 24/7, subject to strict adherence to safety measures with staff and delivery personnel fully vaccinated.
Indoor weddings have been banned, but outdoor weddings are allowed with a maximum of 300 guests till 10 pm with enforcement of the SOPs.
Shrines will remain closed and indoor social gatherings are prohibited.
On the other hand, outdoor gatherings will be allowed for a maximum of 300 guests with strict enforcement of safety protocols.
Contact sports banned, and gyms are only allowed to cater to vaccinated individuals.
Offices, according to the new restrictions, may only call 50 percent of its staff to work.
Similarly, public transport will run on sanctioned routes with 50 percent occupancy and staff fully vaccinated. Snacks are not allowed onboard the vehicles.
In the same vein, railway services may continue to operate under a 50 percent occupancy, subject to enforcement of strict safety protocols and vaccination of all staff.
The restrictions also ordered the closure of all amusement parks, swimming pools and water sports facilities. However, public parks may remain open, subject to the following of safety measures.
Tourism activities to only be allowed for vaccinated individuals.
Domestic airlines to no longer serve meals or snacks.
Finally, the wearing of masks is compulsory at all public places.
Earlier, Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah announced Sunday that schools will reopen after 10 days, on August 19.
Speaking at a press conference alongside MPA Ismail Rahu, the provincial minister said: “Students will not be allowed to carry their mobile phones inside the exam centres”.
He added that teachers and exam staff will also not be allowed to bring cellphones inside the centre.
Rahu said that intermediate exams that had been postponed due to the lockdown will be taken from August 10, reiterating that the government will not allow cheating at any cost.
Announcing that schools will remain closed till August 19, Sardar Ali Shah said the decision had been taken to facilitate students.
He said that while the provincial government will monitor the coronavirus situation in the 10 days till August 19, schools will remain closed.
In response to a question, Shah said that it was important for the provincial government to review its syllabus. “We are still teaching children the miracles of the radio,” he said. “Does anyone even have radio in their homes in this day and age?”
Shah said if public schools undergo reform and improve for the better, parents will never send their children to private schools.
“No parent wants to send his/her children to private schools for additional fees,” he said.
In response to a question, Shah said the Sindh government will try to ensure that there aren’t major differences between the decisions taken by the provincial government and the centre.
He said the Sindh government will also minotor and check whether school staff members and teachers get themselves vaccinated or not.
The national tally of total active Covid-19 cases was recorded 82,076, the highest during fourth wave of pandemic on Sunday with 4,455 more people testing positive for the deadly virus and 2,148 people recovering from the disease during the last 24 hours.
68 coronavirus patients have died during past 24 hours, 64 of whom were under treatment in the hospitals and four of them perished in their respective quarantines or homes, according to the latest update issued by the National command and Operation Centre.
Most of the deaths occurred in Punjab followed by Sindh. Out of the total 68 deaths occurred, 27 of them were died under treatment on ventilators.
There were 4,282 Covid infected patients under treatment in critical condition with seven of them admitted during past 24 hours in various Covid-19 dedicated healthcare facilities of the country.
The National positivity ratio during past 24 hours was recorded 8.09 percent.
The positivity ratio was the percentage of actual positive cases appearing in every 100 tests performed to identify infected individuals.
The maximum ventilators were occupied in four major cities including Islamabad 43 percent, Bahawalpur 40 percent, Peshawar 36 percent and Multan 34 percent.
The maximum amount of oxygen beds was also occupied in four major cities of Hyderabad 68 percent, Abbottabad 55 percent, Karachi 62 percent, and Skardu 51 percent.
Around 435 ventilators were occupied elsewhere in the country while no Covid affected person was on ventilator in Balochistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Some 55,002 tests were conducted across the country on Saturday, including 15,405 in Sindh, 20,609 in Punjab, 10,158 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 4,875 in Islamabad Capital Territory, 1,658 in Balochistan, 684 in GB, and 1,613 in AJK.
Around 961,639 people have recovered from the disease so far across Pakistan making it a significant count with over 90 percent recovery ratio of the affected patients.
Since the pandemic broke out, a total of 1,067,580 cases were detected that also included the perished, recovered and under treatment Covid-19 patients so far, including AJK 26,874, Balochistan 31,138, GB 8,703, ICT 90,503, KP 147,973, Punjab 363,644 and Sindh 398,745.
About 23,865 deaths were recorded in country since the eruption of the contagion. Around 6,189 people perished in Sindh, 20 of them died in the hospitals and one out of the hospital on Saturday.
11,194 people died in Punjab died with 22 deaths occured in past 24 hours. Some 19 individuals died in the hospitals and three out of the hospitals.
As many as 4,540 people expired in KP, 16 of them died in hospitals on Saturday, 814 individuals died in ICT, three of them died in the hospitals in past 24 hours, 331 people died in Balochistan, 152 infected people perished in GB, two of them died in the hospitals on Saturday and 645 people died in AJK, four of them succumbed to the deadly virus in the hospitals on Saturday.
A total of 16,448,406 coronavirus tests have been conducted so far, while 639 hospitals are equipped with Covid facilities across the country.
Some 4,731 coronavirus patients were admitted to hospitals.
With additional input from INP, APP
