People flout lockdown orders

Over 400 new Covid-19 cases reported in twin cities

RAWALPINDI/ ISLAMABAD:

At least 322 people contracted novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the federal capital, while some 81 new cases have been reported in the garrison city during the past 24 hours, whereas the government has failed to enforce lockdown in hotspot areas.

National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Wednesday said that 322 new Covid-19 cases were reported from the federal capital during the last 24 hours.

The figure was the second highest number of cases reported in a day during last four months while as many as 249 cases were reported on yesterday.

According to NCOC data, so far 22,432 cases were reported from the federal capital while 247 deaths were reported from Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) while 19,443 patients had been recovered completely.

Meanwhile, Rawalpindi Institute of Kidney and Liver Transplant (RIUKT) will soon get back its Covid-19 hospital status. The RIUKT was declared as a dedicated healthcare facility to house and treat Covid-19 infected patients as public hospitals ran out of space. However, once the pandemic waned in late August, its status was withdrawn.

The Rawalpindi District Health Authority has again declared emergency in the three allied hospitals to handle the likely surge in number of novel coronavirus patients.

Currently, some 65 patients are under treatment in Holy Family Hospital (HFH). Sources said that the HFH did not have enough space left to accommodate more patients.

Implementation lapses

The implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to curb the pandemic virus spread could not be implemented at large too.

After an increase in novel coronavirus cases, the Punjab government had declared four areas of Rawalpindi, Satellite Town, Abbasabad, Military Foundation University New Lalazar, and Government Girls High School Kahuta as virus hotspots and issued orders to seal them on Wednesday. However, the district administration failed to enforce smart lockdown in the related areas until Wednesday morning.

When The Express Tribune visited Blocks B and C of Satellite Town, it witnessed that none of the streets in both localities had been sealed while routine business activities were also underway.

A shopkeeper told The Express Tribune that although he heard announcements from the mosques on lockdown being enforced but no representative of administration had come to them yet.

Similarly, a citizen named Azeem said that he also received a report from a relative that his area had been declared a hotspot and would be sealed off. But the whole area is open and business activities are in full swing, he added.

An owner of an eatery said that he had been told to close shop by 10pm which he had been implementing.

In this regard, The Express Tribune contacted a senior officer of Rawalpindi police who said that the hotspot areas would be put under a lockdown as per the government orders.

Smart lockdown in capital

Meanwhile, on the direction of Ministry of National Health Services, the district administration of Islamabad had continued smart lockdown in different streets of Islamabad to reduce transmission of the infection in selected streets and other sectors of Islamabad.

As per direction of district administration, five sectors have been sealed for emerging as Covid-19 hot spots included sectors G-6/2, G9/1, G-10/4, I-8/3 and I-8/4. Schools, mosques, shopping centres and parks will remain closed and assistant commissioners of the areas will ensure arrangements.

With additional input by DNA

Published in The Express Tribune, November 12^th, 2020.