At least 103 restaurants, six marriage halls shut down in Karachi: NCOC

NCOC orders all provinces to ensure implementation of SOPs

KARACHI:

At least 103 restaurants and six marriage halls have been closed due to non-compliance of health protocols or standard operating procedures (SOPs), according to the National Command and Operation Centre.

The centre instructed all provinces to ensure implementation of SOPs for public safety and crackdown on violations, particularly in restaurants and marriage halls.

With trends showing a resurgence of Covid-19 in Karachi, the Sindh government has been considering re-imposing a lockdown in the city from next week as authorities went ahead with imposing 'micro-smart lockdowns' in two localities of South district.

Karachi health director Dr Nadeem Sheikh told The Express Tribune on Thursday that 24 localities in South district, 41 localities in Malir district, two localities in West district, a cluster of 39 houses in Korangi district, four localities in Central district and a cluster of 637 houses in East district had been identified as Covid-19 hotspots in the city.

He added that the hotspots would be sealed, while relevant authorities were mulling the possibility of a complete lockdown if people continued to disregard pandemic-related standard operating procedures.

On September 17, at least 22 educational institutions across Pakistan were closed for violating health guidelines. Sixteen educational institutions were closed in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), one in Islamabad and five in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).