Cities with over 10pc Covid-19 positivity: NCOC decides to extend restrictions up to 21st

ISLAMABAD: The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Tuesday, while reviewing the coronavirus situation in the country has decided to extend the already enforced coronavirus curbs in the cities with over 10 percent Covid-19 positivity till February 21.

The NCOC, which met here under the chairmanship of Asad Umar after reviewing the coronavirus situation in the country with a special focus to higher positivity ratio in the cities, agreed to keep the coronavirus-related restrictions in place in the cities and districts with Covid-19 positivity rate higher than 10 for at least three days, a notification issued by the forum stated.

The cities/districts where the restrictions will remain imposed are as follows: Gilgit, Muzaffarabad, Mardan, Karachi, Hyderabad, and Peshawar.

The NCOC said the restrictions would be reviewed again on February 21 and directed all the concerned authorities to notify about the extension of restrictions at priority.

The following restrictions will remain imposed in the above mentioned cities: (i) Indoor gatherings of all types, including weddings, will be banned. (ii) Outdoor gatherings, including weddings, will be allowed with a cap of 300 fully-vaccinated guests. (iii) There will be a complete ban on indoor dining. However, outdoor dining for fully-vaccinated citizens and takeaway service will be allowed. (iv) Restaurants and eateries will be allowed to offer takeaway service 24/7. (v) Indoor gyms at 50 percent capacity for fully-vaccinated individuals will be allowed. (vi) Cinemas will be allowed to open at 50 percent capacity for full-vaccinated individuals only. (vii) There would be a complete ban on contact sports like karate, boxing, martial arts, water polo, Kabaddi and wrestling. (viii) Schools will be allowed to open with 50 percent attendance (staggered days) for students below the age of 12 years. For students (fully vaccinated) over 12 years, the NCOC has recommended 100 percent attendance.

Following decisions were taken regarding the cities and town with less than 10 percent positivity ratio: (i) indoor gatherings are allowed with a maximum limit of 300 guests (fully vaccinated), while outdoor events can be held with a maximum limit of 500 guests. (ii) Indoor and outdoor dining is permitted for fully-vaccinated individuals only, while takeaways are allowed 24/7. (iii) Indoor gyms are open for fully-vaccinated individuals only. (iii) All types of sports are allowed for fully vaccinated individuals. (iv) Children will continue to attend schools with strict standard operating procedures (SOPs), while those above 12-years of age must have to be fully vaccinated.

There will be no restrictions for business activities and businesses will continue without time restrictions.

Public buses will be allowed to operate with 70 percent of their seating capacity. Wearing masks will be mandatory throughout the journey, with a complete ban on serving meals/snacks. Railways will operate with an 80 percent occupancy level.

Offices will be allowed to operate at 100 percent capacity with normal working hours. However, work from home is encouraged.

There will be a complete ban on meal/beverages serving during the in-flight journey for domestic travel.

With effect from end of February 2022 vaccination for students above 12 years will be mandatory (at least one dose). No exemption other than medical reasons will be entertained.

Aggressive sentinel testing in educational institutes will be carried out for targeted closures in high disease prevalence education institutes. Federating units in consultations with health authorities will set a number/percentage for closure of education institutes.

Strict adherence to the SOPs in mosques and other places of worship be ensured by all federating units. Targeted lockdown with stringent enforcement protocols based on risk assessment will continue.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022