Sindh health dept proposes shutting down primary schools, indoor dining

The Sindh health department on Monday proposed to shut down primary schools and indoor dining as the coronavirus positivity rate jumped to seven percent in the province and 14 percent in Karachi.

A team headed by Sindh Chief Secretary Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah discussed these proposals during a meeting that reviewed the Covid-19 situation in the province.

Smart lockdowns, control on mobility to be used again: Dr Faisal

The proposals would be presented in the next meeting of the provincial task force on Covid-19.

During today's meeting, Shah warned that marriage halls, cattle markets, and restaurants where Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) were being violated, would be closed.

Shah also directed the Karachi commissioner to enforce smart lockdowns in high-risk areas of the city.

"All commissioners and deputy commissioners should reach their vaccination targets," the chief secretary said, adding that all measures should be taken to prevent the spread of the virus in the city.

Earlier today, Special Assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan (SAPM) on Health Dr. Faisal Sultan said that the surge in coronavirus cases in Pakistan is due to the impact of the Delta variant.

In a presser on Monday, the SAPM said that the positivity ratio of cases has increased from 2% to 4%, urging the public to follow Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

He further noted that besides the effect of new virus variants, the citizens have also shown a lack of care.

Last week, National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) had confirmed the presence of different Covid-19 variants, including the Delta variant, in Pakistan.

Dr. Sultan contended that to curb the spread of the virus, the government will again impose smart lockdowns and it may put restrictions on mobility as well.

He urged the citizens to get themselves inoculated against the deadly virus, adding that vaccination was the only way to protect the population from the spread of the virus.