NCOC to hold first provincial level meeting tomorrow

Purpose of these meetings is to ensure uniformity in the country's response to Covid-19

LAHORE:

The National Command and Control Centre (NCOC) will be holding its first provincial meeting in Lahore tomorrow, it was announced on Sunday.

This will be the first time the national body on Covid-19 will be holding a meeting on a provincial level. The body plans to hold similar meetings in other provincial capitals of the country as well.

Besides appreciating the steps taken by the respective provinces to combat Covid-19, the purpose of these meetings will be to ensure uniformity in the country's response to the disease.

All provincial chief secretaries will brief tomorrow's meeting about the measures taken to ensure implementation of SOPs and management of cattle markets in their respective provinces. The meeting will be chaired by Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar.

The meeting will also discuss hotspot areas, contact tracing strategy and testing with respect to Punjab, whereas the interior minister will also preside over the discussion regarding Eid-ul-Azha, cattle markets and Muharram in the province. 

The meeting will be attended by the NCOC's core team including its National Coordinator, Lt Gen Hamood-uz-Zaman, Interior Minister Brig (retd) Ijaz Shah, Dr Faisal Sultan, Punjab CM Usman Buzdar, Punjab law and health ministers, Punjab chief secretary and IG Police.

Provincial chief secretaries and other officials of Punjab's provincial departments will attend via video link.

Earlier this week, the minister for planning had informed that SOPs for Eidul Azha had been formulated. He chaired an NCOC meeting were cattle market management, availability of medicines and Covid-19 projections were reviewed.

The NCOC suggested setting up cattle markets outside cities, compulsory testing of animal handlers, market timings from morning to evening and engaging religious scholars for the implementation of SOPs.

Speaking on the occasion, the minister ordered that an effective monitoring mechanism must be chalked out to ensure social distancing and the adherence to the SOPs at cattle markets.

The panel was informed that guidelines have been prepared and shared with all provinces for Eid.