ISLAMABAD: Amid the worsening coronavirus situation in the country, the National Command and Operations Center (NCOC) has directed provincial authorities to prepare for a two-week lockdown in 20 cities starting May 2-3.
The federal government has indicated on several occasions that the SOP implementation across the country is weak and a lockdown must be imposed if the situation does not improve.
In the letter titled “Input / Feedback – City Wise Lockdown”, the NCOC stated that a two-week lockdown in districts / cities with high disease prevalence is tentatively planned with effect from May 2nd and 3rd.
“That is why you are asked to carry out the necessary planning at the end,” says the letter.
The list mentioned 20 cities in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu and Kashmir where the coronavirus situation is extremely bad.
Cities where the lockdown is planned include Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Bahawalpur, Hyderabad, Peschawar, Dir Lower, Mardan, Nowshera, Malakand, Charsadda, Swat, Swabi, Muzaffarabad, Sudhnuti, Poonch and Bagh.
The COVID-19 apex body has directed the local administration to forward their submissions for the necessary action.
Over 200 deaths Per Day
Pakistan reported 201 new deaths from the coronavirus in the past 24 hours on Wednesday. This is the highest number of fatalities in a day since the pandemic began last year.
This is the first time coronavirus deaths have exceeded the 200 mark in the country.
According to the NCOC’s official data, which balances the government’s efforts against COVID-19, the death toll in the country reached 17,329 with the most recent surge.
Pakistan performed 49,101 tests for coronavirus, of which 5,292 were positive. The total number of coronavirus cases nationwide stands at 810,231, with the highest cases reported to date in Punjab.
The country’s positivity rate has risen to 10.77% with 88,207 active cases, while the number of nationwide recoveries has so far reached 704,494.