Another 119 Covid-19 cases detected in capital
The district administration of the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) has continued its policy of imposing smart lockdowns over various neighbourhoods after another 119 novel coronavirus cases were confirmed in the city on Monday.
According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on the novel coronavirus (Covid-19), 119 new cases had been confirmed in the city on Sunday while no new associated fatality was reported.
An official at the NCOC said that as many as 152 cases had been confirmed on Saturday while a whopping 224 cases were reported on Friday, which was the highest number of cases reported in a single day in October.
So far, he said, 20,089 cases have been reported from the federal capital while 222 deaths were reported from the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). Of those infected, as many as 18,209 patients have made a full recovery.
Meanwhile, on the directions of the federal health ministry, the district administration has continued its policy of smart lockdowns in different streets of Islamabad to reduce the transmission of the virus.
A crackdown has also been launched on those who are defying the standard operating procedures (SOPs) on Covid-19. In this regard, district administration officials are visiting marriage halls, markets and fuel pumps to inspect compliance.
The district administration also sealed schools, shops, workshops and restaurants which were defying the SOPs or where Covid-19 cases were confirmed.
The inspection teams also issued notices to marriage halls and imposed fines on owners of different shops.
A health ministry official said that several local-level administrative decisions were made to control the spread of the disease. He advised citizens to continue following the social distancing SOPs, and wear facemasks and other precautionary measures to stop increasing local transmission of Covid-19 in Islamabad.
He said that the main focus of their strategy to control the pandemic virus is to reduce transmission while maintaining business activities of small and poor traders on the other. He said that all possible measures were adopted to control Covid-19 to avoid further load on an already burdened health system of the country.
The official said the ministry had asked schools in Islamabad to strictly observe SOPs to ensure students stay safe from Covid-19. He said that all schools had been directed to strictly follow the SOPs announced by the government such as social distancing, hand sanitizers or washing, wearing of face masks etc. He asked parents to regularly observe their school-going children and in case of any illness, avoid sending them to school while teachers should also observe children's health.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 3rd, 2020.