7,288 violations of Covid SOPs in last 24 hours

NCOC says 1,070 shops sealed and 1,234 motorists fined across country

ISLAMABAD:

Authorities sealed 1,070 shops and fined 1,234 motorists across the country in the last 24 hours for violating coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs), the National and Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) said on Sunday as the countrywide tally of Covid-19 cases surpassed 205,000.

Giving details, the NCOC said there were 3,252 violations in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The authorities in the province sealed 178 shops and fined 105 motorists.

In Punjab, 2,172 violations were reported. A total of 618 shops were sealed and 816 motorists fined.

There were 786 violations in Balochistan. The authorities sealed 95 shops and fined 203 motorists.

In Sindh, 479 violations were reported, 24 shops sealed and 22 motorists fined.

There were 390 violations in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The authorities sealed 53 shops and fined 63 motorists.

As many as 183 violations were reported in Gilgit-Baltistan, 88 shops sealed and 23 motorists fined

There were 16 violations in Islamabad. A total of 14 shops were sealed and two motorists fined in the federal capital.

The NCOC has identified 20 cities with Covid-19 hotspots using a strategy termed as ‘testing, tracing and quarantining (TTQ)’.

The TTQ strategy involves ramping up Covid-19 testing followed by rapidly tracing the contacts of confirmed positive cases, and effective quarantining of positive and suspected cases. The strategy was formulated to keep the virus spread in check as different sectors of the economy were reopened.

The 20 cities are: Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala, Swat, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Sialkot, Gujarat, Ghotki, Larkana, Khairpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Malakand and Mardan. The NCOC has recommended “necessary restrictive measures” in these cities.

The TTQ is aimed at identifying disease spread, focused clusters or hotspots to enable targeted lockdowns and need-driven resource optimisation at all levels. The strategy involves ramping up of testing, tracing the contacts of confirmed positive cases, and effective quarantining of suspected cases.

On Saturday, The NCOC observed a decline in the number of Covid-19 testing across the country particularly in Sindh and Punjab.

The forum observed there has been a slight decline in the number of symptomatic and suspected Covid-19 patients. “Since June 14, 542 lockdowns in 20 cities across the country are enforced due to which movement is restricted in these areas,” according to the official statement.

The provinces also informed the forum that the positive behaviour has been noted among the masses in the smart lockdown areas with regards to compliance of the standard operating procedures against the contagious disease.