ISLAMABAD: National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has announced six-day Eid holidays (May 10-15) in the country with a view to containing Covid-19. "Announcement of Eid Holidays from 10-15 May 2021 with clear intention of reducing national mobility," the statement from the NCOC said.

The NCOC also announced comprehensive guidelines by the name of "Stay Home-Stay Safe Eid-ul-Fitr-2021 from 8-16 May 2021".

The NCOC has also imposed a ban on chand raat (on the eve of Eid) bazaars, including mehendi, jewellery, and clothing stalls from 8-16 May. The NCOC Chairman, Asad Umar, Thursday, announced that vaccination of Pakistanis between 40-49 years of age will be starting from May 3rd.

The chairman NCOC took to Twitter to announce that more than 100,000 people had been vaccinated across Pakistan in a single day, for the second consecutive day.

"Second successive day of more than 1 lakh vaccinations. Encouraging to see pace of registration also picking up. Vaccination of those between 40 and 49 years age will be starting from next Monday the 3rd of May," he tweeted.

On April 27, Pakistan opened the registration of the coronavirus vaccine for the 40-49 age group.

According to the official data provided by the NCOC, 5,480 people tested positive for coronavirus after 57,013 tests were conducted across the country in the past 24 hours.

The data said that in the past 24 hours 151 Covid-19 deaths were reported nationwide.

The total tally of Covid-19 cases now stands at 815,711, with most cases reported in Punjab followed by Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK).

The number of recoveries nationwide has reached 708,193 so far, while the number of active cases across the country on Thursday stood at 89,838.

A day earlier, Pakistan reported 201 Covid-19 deaths, the highest single-day toll recorded since the pandemic broke out last year.

A total of 11,739,027 corona tests had been conducted so far, while 631 hospitals were equipped with COVID facilities.

Some 6,327 corona patients were admitted in hospitals across the country.

NNI adds: Tourism spots, public parks, and small bazars to remain close during holidays. The details issued by the body through a notification further said that other than essential services all shops, businesses and markets will remain shut during the Eid holidays.

On the other hand, bakeries, fruit and vegetable shops, grocery, medical stores, vaccination centres will remain open during the holidays.

The guidelines for Youm-e-Ali (RA), Aitekaf and Shabe-e-Qadr would be issued on May 01.

Moreover, the NCOC gave its nod to the import of oxygen and its cylinders. The country would import 6,000 metric tons of oxygen and 5,000 cylinders.

It is pertinent to mention here that the industries ministry has decided to import oxygen cylinders and concentrators and has conveyed the decision to the National Command Operations Centre (NCOC).

The decision-making body on the COVID situation also decided to restrict international flights to Pakistan from May 5 to May 20 as a review of the decision would be made in a meeting on May 18.

An earlier report in this regard noted that NCOC called for reducing international flight operations in the country by 80 percent. The CAA will issue detailed instructions in this regard, the NCOC said.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021