https://arab.news/m5r6p
- Transport, markets, marriage halls, restaurants, and other avenues of public gatherings to be strictly monitored
- PM Khan has defended the lifting of lockdown earlier this year, saying the virus spread was below projections
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), the apex body that oversees COVID-19 efforts, said there was a ‘clear resurgence’ of the coronavirus in the country and warned of fresh lockdowns if people did not follow coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs).
The government announced that virtually all sectors in Pakistan shut down in March to prevent the spread of the coronavirus would be reopened in August, other than schools and marriage halls, which opened in September. Since then, there has been a slow uptick in infection numbers, which had fallen steadily since June.
“If there is no improvement in SOPs compliance is observed, NCOC will have no choice but again revert to strict measures leading to re-closures of services,” NCOC said in a statement after a meeting of top officials on Wednesday, adding that there was a “clear resurgence of disease” in Pakistan.
“Strict Punitive actions on SOPs violations will be initiated,” the NCOC warned, saying the sectors of transport, markets, marriage halls, restaurants, and avenues of public gatherings would be monitored.
Fearful of the economic and financial impact, and swayed by the acute hardship suffered by millions of poor families, Prime Minister Imran Khan has defended the lifting of the lockdown earlier this year, saying the virus spread had been well below projections.
On Wednesday, Pakistan reported 19 deaths from the coronavirus, the highest single-day deaths recorded since September 1.
About 591 people tested positive for the coronavirus and 10 died in the past 24 hours, according to a government portal, taking the total number of cases to 325,480, with 6,702 deaths.