LAHORE: In the wake of growing number of Covid-19 cases in the province, the Punjab government has decided to close down markets violating Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
On the instructions of Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, a special meeting of the Cabinet Committee for anti-corona was held on Monday, which took important decisions for protecting the public from the second wave of corona as well as strict implementation on precautionary measures.
Expressing concern over the increase in number of corona patients in the province, the meeting decided to impose smart lockdown in areas with corona cases.
The meeting took strict notice over the violation of corona SOPs in some markets and bazaars and decided to close down such markets and bazaars violating corona SOPs
Provincial Minister for Commerce Mian Aslam Iqbal said the committee reviewed the corona situation in the province.
He warned that the markets, bazaars, offices and wedding halls where masks will not be made mandatory will be closed down.
Provincial Minister for Health Dr Yasmin Rashid, while addressing the meeting stated that the number of positive coronavirus cases is increasing in Punjab and ratio of positive test rate has also increased. She said there are 418 patients are under treatment in public hospitals out of these patients 76 are critical.
She said there is ample stock of essential medicines and PPEs while the health department will buy more PCR kits for corona tests.
The meeting decided to evolve a strategy for the best management of the beds in the hospitals and for this purpose a separate dashboard will be set up which will provide all the information regarding beds in the hospital.
It was decided in the meeting to declare Rawalpindi Institute of Urology as Corona Hospital. Proposal for introducing rapid test was also reviewed in the meeting. The technical group will present final recommendations in this regard. A committee has been set up under the leadership of Dr Yasmin Rashid and Mian Aslam for setting up SOPs for the marriage halls and marquees which will present its final recommendations within 24 hours.
On the other hand, the Punjab CM said that keeping in view the increasing coronavirus cases and for the wider public interest, it has been decided to impose smart lockdown in the affected areas. Wearing a mask has been declared compulsory and directions have been issued for the strict implementation of wearing the mask in the markets and bazaars. The CM stated that directions have been issued to the administration and the police for controlling the second wave of corona. He said that the lives of the citizens are most important for the government and no negligence will be tolerated in this regard.
Moreover, the number of active corona patients of corona in Punjab has reached to 6876. During the last 24 hours, 345 fresh coronavirus cases were reported while one patient has died.
As many as 9406 corona diagnostic tests were conducted during the last 24 hours taking the number of tests so far conducted to 1680320 in Punjab. As many as 97638 corona patients were recovered while so far 2408 corona patients died in Punjab.
Meanwhile, PML-N Youth Wing President Captain Mohammad Safdar (Retd) after being tested positive for the coronavirus while campaigning for the PML-N in Gilgit-Baltistan elections flew to Lahore and was admitted to the Sharif Medical City Hospital on the advice of doctors.
PML-N Youth Wing spokesman Ali Khan Yusufzai said Safdar had complained of flu and fever in Skardu. He returned to Islamabad with Maryam Nawaz after which he was tested for the virus. He said that Safdar's condition is satisfactory.
However, Maryam Nawaz Sharif has tested negative for coronavirus. She had taken coronavirus test on her return from Skardu to Islamabad.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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