Twin cities: Gross violations of SOPs witnessed at grocery stores, pharmacies

Despite increase in coronavirus cases in the country, gross violations of standard operating procedures (SOPs) devised for controlling spread of the Covid-19 were witnessed on Saturday at grocery stores and pharmacies in the various markets of the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

According to a survey of various pharmacies, grocery stores, vegetable shops, bakeries, milk and meat shops located in the various markets of the twin cities, it was observed that majority of stores were openly violating the SOPs devised by the district administrations.

The SOPs included every shop will ensure provision of masks and sanitizers to its staff and clients.

The salesman will keep distance of six feet among them.

The clients will keep distance of two feet from the counter.

The clients will also keep six feet distance among them in and outside the shops.

Similarly, queue will be made with six feet distance between each client.

Shops with multiple sections will ensure to open only grocery, food and chemist sections. Shop owners will submit undertaking to the concerned station house officer (SHO) to follow the directions before opening the shop.

The district administration of both the cities on March 24 imposed lockdown and ordered to close all kinds of shops except medical stores/pharmacies, bakeries, meat, milk shops, and grocery stores.

Like other parts of the country, majority of the shops in the major markets in both the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi including Aabpara, Karachi Company, Peshawar Mor, F-6 and F-7, I-8, G-10 Markaz, Commercial Market, Raja Bazaar, Pindora as well as several other smaller markets remain closed.

Despite government permission majority of the private clinics, government and private hospitals did not open their out patient departments (OPDs) due to which many patients are facing problems.

Meanwhile, the health department continued complete lockdown and screening of residents of main street and street C-2, Lane C, Irfanabad, Taramri Chowk where some people were tested positive for the Covid-19.

The number of coronavirus cases rose in the federal capital on Saturday to 107 bringing the country's tally of the Covid-19 infections to 4,892, according to the official data.

According to the official data, Punjab has 2,336 cases followed by Sindh 1,318, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 656, Balochistan 220, Gilgit-Baltistan 215, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) 34.

Till filling of this report, 762 coronavirus patients have so far recovered, and 77 have died across the country.

The administrations have continued disinfection spray in various localities of the cities especially in those areas from where coronavirus positive cases were reported during the last few days.