Restrictions flouted as Covid-19 numbers spike

We want the public to follow SOPs voluntarily, says adviser to Sindh CM

KARACHI:

As provincial coronavirus case count climbs to 238,000, Karachi’s residents seem to have adopted a devil-may-care attitude towards all pandemic restrictions.

In violation of government directives, various streets and markets in the financial capital can be seen abuzz with shoppers till late night. Similarly, malls, hotels and other public places in the city continue to be frequented by people not wearing masks, despite extant no-mask-no-entrance policies.

While Covid-19 numbers show no promise of slowing down anytime soon, it appears that the city of more than 20 million has taken an ostrich approach to the virus’ second wave. And days before the expiry of the last notification issued by the government for Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs), local authorities too have seemingly loosened their grip on imposing and implementing pandemic-related restrictions.

According to the Sindh government’s notification, which was issued a few weeks ago, all markets and various other businesses are to close by 8.00 pm. Hotels and restaurants, which were offered a two-hour leeway, were allowed to operate till 10pm. Citizens were mandated to wear face-masks in public places, while all marketplaces were directed to remain closed for one day over the weekend-either Friday or Sunday.

Yet, several businesses like cafes, roadside-eateries, tea shops, and hotels have remained operational till wee hours of the night, throughout the restriction period.

A majority of these businesses, situated in teeming areas like Super Highway, Gulshane-Maymar, Gulistan-e-Johar, Hussainabad, Clifton, Burns Road and Kharadar, continue to receive an uninterrupted footfall throughout the week.

“People have forgotten about the SOPs. No one cares enough to follow them anymore,” said Munawar, a hotel owner in one of the city’s busiest localities. “We tried imposing a no-mask-no-entrance policy at our establishment but it resulted in people breaking into fights with our staff. The government should take a more serious stance towards implementing the SOPs or the public would continue to treat them as a joke,” he added.

The government and district management, during the pandemic’s first wave, had largely relied on a policy centring on smart lockdowns to curb Covid-19 numbers in hotspots. However, in time of the disease’s second attack, the once ingenious policy also appears to have lost its vigour in the megacity.

In addition to that, a fine of Rs500 was also mandated for people not wearing masks in public places. But the restriction eventually fizzled out amid a lack of proper implementation and penalisation. This lack of control is attributed to the growing nonchalance of the city’s deputy and assistant commissioners, who have, reportedly, turned a blind eye to the non-implementation of SOPs.

Mosques across the ports city, after observing a few months of controlled congregations, have once again opened their doors to one and all, acting as potential hotbeds for the viral spread. According to Muhammad Azeem, who is a secretary of a local mosque, much of the precautions and SOPs adopted during the pandemic’s first wave at places of worship have gone with the wind.

“There is no social distancing in congregations anymore, worshippers don’t bother wearing masks and sanitiser gates, once installed outside most mosques, too appear to have vanished into thin air. All mosques should start taking the SOPs more seriously and ascertain their implementation within their four walls,” he said.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Adviser to the Sindh chief minister Waqar Mehdi insisted that the government was taking all needed measures to keep the city protected from the worst of Covid-19.

“We have imposed few precautionary steps and restrictions, which the district management has implemented on various occasions. But we want the public to follow the SOPs voluntarily. As for the decision to whether lift restrictions on January 31 or to extend them further, the CM will announce that after reviewing the situation,” he said.