Following the decisions of the National Command and Operations Center (NCOC) made during a meeting last month, the Pakistani authorities are imposing a full and nationwide blockade starting May 8 (Saturday) for the next 10 days.
The government has already declared May 8-15 as an Eid holiday, followed by Sunday. During these 10-days, there will be an outright ban on unnecessary movement of people and gatherings of any kind.
In addition, all tourist spots, picnic areas, including beaches, recreation parks, remain closed to the public, with the exception of the main services, bakeries, grocery and dairy shops or medical and pharmaceutical shops, etc.
The Prime Minister’s Special Assistant for Health, Dr. Faisal Sultan, warned that COVID-19 cases could rise again if no precautionary measures are taken in this critical period “where we see the last days of Ramadan as Eid is rapidly approaching.”
Dr. Faisal Sultan, who attended a webinar, said there are some “early signs of stability” in the third wave of Covid-19 in Pakistan. However, he emphasized that it was also a “very risky time” as we see a kind of shopping frenzy during this time.
“Today we are in the middle of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said, adding that only the public can successfully fight the virus by strictly following the COVID-19 SOPs.
Public Movement
In order to restrict public movement during the Eid holidays, the provincial governments of Sindh, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) filed for a complete closure as early as May 8-15.
All public transport and tourist destinations will be closed during the holidays and police, rangers, and army personnel will be deployed at the checkpoints that will be installed at the entry and exit points of all cities in these provinces.
Development Planning and Special Initiative Minister Asad Umar tweeted to urge people to celebrate oath the “easy” way to support the government’s efforts against COVID-19.
In a tweet, the minister called on the public to “spend this important time together and be careful about it“.
رمضان المبارک کے آخری چند دن اور عید سادگی اور احتیاط سے منائیے. اللہ کے کرم سے اور بروقت فیصلوں سے ہمارے ملک میں وہ حالات نہیں ہوئے جو پڑوس میں ہیں. آئیں مل کر اس اہم ترین وقت کو احتیاط سے گزاریں. جمعتہ الوداع مبارک. #StayHomeStaySafe
— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) May 7, 2021
Pakistan reported 140 deaths and 4,298 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours on Friday.
The country has passed the grim milestone of 850,000 total cases, while the death toll has risen to 18,677, according to NCOC statistics.
The total number of reported recoveries across the country stands at 747,755, while the number of active cases has risen to 83,699.
According to NCOC data, the rate of coronavirus positivity in Pakistan is 9.58 percent.