Rawalpindi mulls sealing five areas

BBH also dedicated for Covid-19 patients

RAWALPINDI/ ISLAMABAD:  

With the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi included in the list of 20 major urban centres across the country where “smart lockdowns” will be imposed to curb the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19), the district administrations of both cities are considering sealing additional areas.

In Rawalpindi, the district administration is mulling whether to enforce the lockdown in five areas in the city and cantonment areas which have been declared as virus hotspots.

As the total number of cases in the city rose by over a 100 to 4,247 cases, the district administration has sought permission from the Punjab health secretary to enforce a complete or smart lockdown in Satellite Town D-Block, Raja Sultan neighbourhood, Union Council (UC) 26, Dheri Hasanabad and Tulsa Road.

After obtaining approval from the Punjab government and the national command centre (NCC), they will deploy security personnel in the related areas to implement the lockdown. However, it has yet to be decided whether the curfew will be imposed by the army or the police.

Sources say that the administration will decide the nature of the lockdown, strict or smart, after getting permission from the health ministry completing a survey of the affected localities.

Treating Covid-19 patients

With Covid-19 cases rising exponentially, the district administration has decided to convert another public hospital, the Benazir Bhutto General Hospital (BBH), for treating Covid-19 critical patients.

Previously, only the Rawalpindi Institute of Urology and Kidney Transplant (RIUKT) was working as a dedicated healthcare facility for critical Covid-19 patients.

Meanwhile, the district administration and health authorities have decided to move asymptomatic or less severe patients to field hospitals established at the Sports Complex, Fatima Jinnah Women University, and Women’s University on Sixth Road.

However, all three isolation centres lack ventilators. But a field hospital set up at the Red Crescent has now been equipped with a ventilator.

Sources say infected patients who are not critical are being asked to self-isolate at home. However, positive patients who require the supervision of a medical practitioner are being admitted to hospitals.

Capital cases surged after Eid

There were only 1,592 confirmed cases in the federal capital from February 26 until May 24. However, since Eidul Fitr, the cases in the federal capital have increased by 7,000 to 8,569 on Monday, figures released by the Islamabad Health Office showed.

The district administration, having sealed Sector G-9 and Karachi Company is now mulling closing other areas including Sector I-8. 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 16^th, 2020.