Sindh imposes lockdown in Karachi till August 8

The Sindh Government has decided to impose an immediate lockdown in Karachi from 31 July to 8 August due to rising number of coronavirus cases across the city.

The decision was made in a meeting of the Coronavirus Task Force chaired by Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, which was attended all provincial ministers, medical experts and representatives of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA).

Furthermore, the parliamentary leaders of political parties and the Sindh Ranger DG was also invited to the meeting of the COVID-19 Task Force.

During the meeting, the Sindh Health Department proposed a two-week lockdown while medical experts proposed banning inter-city transport along with shutting down all educational institutions for two-weeks.

However, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) opposed the idea of a complete lockdown in Karachi and the head of the NCOC, Asad Umar, said that closing down an entire city for weeks was not a solution to the problem.

The lockdown in Karachi will go into effect from tomorrow (31 July 2021) till 8 August. Moreover, the following decisions were made by the task force:

• Government offices will be closed from next week.
• Unvaccinated people will not get their salaries till August 31.
• Random checking of vaccination cards of anyone roaming the streets.
• The export industry is exempted from the restrictions.
• Markets in the province will remain closed.
• Pharmacies will remain open.
• Inter-city transport to be closed.

The Karachi Tajir Action Committee has opposed the decision to implement the lockdown in Sindh and expressed their disappointment with the decision.

Meanwhile, the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) has decided to take all possible measures to assist Sindh in combating the coronavirus situation.

“The measures being undertaken by federal government include ramp up of critical care capacity including oxygenated beds & vents, availability of oxygen and deployment of LEAs for implementation of SOPs and NPIs,” the NCOC tweeted.

Read more: Summer Vacation Not Extended, Board Exams to Continue as Planned.

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