Seven more lose battle to Covid-19

Restaurateurs threaten govt to stage march against restrictions

RAWALPINDI:

The number of Covid patients has risen amid the third wave of coronavirus as 228 more cases were reported on Tuesday while seven deaths were reported in the Rawalpindi division, a spokesperson said. According to details, at least seven people succumbed to the virus in a day.

The fatalities include Aijaz Pervaiz Alvi (64), Muhammad Rasheed (64), Rukhsana (55), Irshad Begum (70), Asmat (52), Javed Iqbal (60), and Saleem Durrani (70). Moreover, the District Health Authority said that 56 Covid cases surfaced from Potohar Town, 67 from Cantt, and 44 from Rawal Town. Besides this, 16 cases each were reported from Taxila and Gujar Khan, four each from Kallar Syedan and Kahuta, seven from Kotli Sattiyan, and two from Murree.

An official told that Holy Family Hospital (HFH) is treating 22 Covid patients followed by 21 patients at Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH), 16 at Fauji Foundation Hospital and 83 patients admitted to Rawalpindi Institute Urology and Transplantation. The third wave has proven to be more fatal and infectious as a huge number of children have been infected as well, they added. In this regard, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Anwarul Haq said that the district administration is trying to provide the best healthcare facilities to people admitted at the healthcare facilities.

He added that the administration is also taking measures to increase the capacity of hospitals. Meanwhile, the district administration has accelerated its ongoing operation against coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs) violators and conducted raids at commercial centres, including shopping malls, markets, plazas and others while sealing 20 establishments besides imposing fines amounting to Rs52,500 on the violators.

According to a spokesperson, the district officers conducted several raids to check for the implementation of SOPs and imposed fines on the violators. He said public service vehicles (PSVs) were inspected and 22 vehicles were impounded from different routes while Rs32,000 fines were imposed on the violators. As many as 66 public places, including parks, were also raided and Rs4200 in fines were imposed on those not following the SOPs.

Similarly, the administration officers checked 22 marriage halls, 76 restaurants and other places and sealed nine restaurants and a marriage hall while fines amounting to Rs28,000 were imposed for breaching the guidelines of the government issued to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Read Punjab IG prisons directs competent authority to vaccinate prisoners above 50, staff

Restaurant association warns of protest

The All Rawalpindi Restaurants Association (ARRA) threatened to come out on roads from April 11 if the government does not allow the outdoor dining facility under the strict implementation of all precautionary SOPs. The representatives also demanded a relief package for restaurants that have been badly affected by the pandemic.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, ARRA Chairman Mumtaz Ahmad, Secretary-General Mohammad Farooq and other office bearers pointed out the irony that on one hand, the government had allowed all businesses to function and on the other, restricted restaurants to a takeaway facility. They said that it was difficult to understand how the National Command Operation Centre was coming up with policies as the association or its stakeholders have never been taken in confidence, they complained.

The representatives also said that these policies are tantamount to the economic murder of workers in twenty other industries due to which most tax-paying restaurants and hotel owners and employees are forced to starve. They further stated that if the government promised to take responsibility for their employees, they are ready to close the restaurants. They maintained that restaurants are the backbone of the country’s economy and paid more taxes than the construction industry.

The representatives warned that they should not be forced to go to Islamabad for sit-ins, however, if their demands are not met by April 10, they would shut down all restaurants and stage a protest. The chairman said that the government had allowed the restaurants in the federal capital with the facility of outdoor seating despite the fact that Islamabad has one of the highest infection rates. Giving details of what he termed irreparable loss to the restaurant industry, the secretary-general said that more than 23 thousand restaurants had been completely closed down so far, leaving around 12 million people jobless.

He feared that if the government does not come up with some relief package and relaxation in what he termed irrational and illogical restrictions on restaurants, many more restaurants will close down and more people will lose jobs. He said that with the permission of takeaway facility only, it would not possible for restaurants to meet their expenses. He questioned that if big shopping malls and markets could function without ensuring strict SOPs, why the restaurants could not operate with complete adherence to the relevant precautionary measures.

Inmates to get vaccinated

The Punjab government has decided to vaccinate inmates over 50 years of age against the novel coronavirus in the prisons across the province. On the instructions of Punjab Prisons Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chauhan and the Prisons Inspector General (IG), a letter to all DIGs and Prison Superintendents has been issued in this regard. The provincial minister said that the Punjab government is actively working against the pathogen.

He added that better care of prisoners and jail staff was their top priority. He also asked the relevant district officers to ensure the vaccination with the help of the respective district health officials. Chauhan said that the third wave of the virus was dangerous and during this time, everybody was required to be careful. Meanwhile, the government has banned jail meetings in the prisons in Rawalpindi for 10 days to curb the spread of the virus.

The Punjab home department has sent letters to Rawalpindi DIG Malik Shaukat Feroze to take measures to keep prisoners in jails safe from the virus and impose a ban on meetings.