Smart lockdown in eight K-P districts
A policeman (R) stands along a paramilitary soldier at a security check point on a street as a lockdown was imposed to curb the spread of the Covid-19 in Karachi. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
A stricter smart lockdown will be imposed in eight districts of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) from today (Monday) due to the rapid spread of Covid-19 in these districts.
Official sources told The Express Tribune that the administration had decided to impose a strict lockdown in these districts including Peshawar, Swabi, Swat, Malakand, Haripur, Abbotabad, Manshera and Dera Ismail Khan. Closing down all schools and colleges are part of these strict measures. Similarly, in 15 districts all the activities in the markets will end by 8 o’clock at night. Indoor and outdoor functions as well as well as inter-district transport would also remain suspended.
A notification has already been issued regarding the closure of all schools and colleges. By the same token vaccination drive has been increased but still the lack of awareness among the local population has made it difficult for the provincial government to achieve its goal of vaccination.
“People are not taking interest in the vaccination process despite the establishment of mass vaccination centers in hospitals and elsewhere and we need to overcome this as soon as possible,” said a government official while talking to The Express Tribune.
The district administration in Peshawar has already made it mandatory for the visitors to have a vaccination certificate before availing the facility of birth certificate, domicile and other facilities at its offices.
There are, however, widespread reports that these restrictions have resulted in the fake vaccination certificates which are available for a few hundredsrupees easily.
“On the one side government has introduced the facility of the booster third dose at Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) for international travellers and on the other people didn’t understand the gravity of the situation and are still reluctant to have the Covid vaccine despite the fact that Peshawar remains on top of the Covid related deaths in the province. Most of the new cases are also being reported in Peshawar.
“People are not only reluctant to have vaccines but also are reluctant to wear masks, avoid overcrowded marketplaces and travel. Even the two day a week lockdown is difficult to implement for the administration and police inside Peshawar,” he said, adding that the administration should take notice of the situation and implement the lockdown with an iron hand.
“Dozens of drivers are being arrested each day and dozens of shops are sealed daily but still people are far from cooperating with the administration,” blamed another government official.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 6th, 2021.