Sindh toughens Covid restrictions for unvaccinated individuals

Provincial authorities will only allow inoculated persons to attend gatherings and enter public spaces

The Sindh government has issued directives to implement new decisions of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) to prevent the Omicron strain of Covid-19 from spreading in the country.

According to a notification issued on Wednesday, only vaccinated people will be able to attend public gatherings or enter wedding halls, shopping malls and hotels, or avail several other services such as sports, shrines, gyms and cinemas.

The communique added that a maximum of 500 people will be allowed to indoor gatherings in Karachi, Sanghar and Sukkur while a total of 1,000 people will be allowed to participate in outdoor gatherings.

It further said that markets and other businesses will be allowed to operate until 10pm, while provisions of essential services may continue beyond the stated time.

Also read: No escaping from Omicron variant, warns NCOC

According to the official statement, public parks may remain open with a maximum of 70 per cent occupancy, while public transport may maintain 80 per cent seating capacity.

Concluding, the provincial government said that district administrations may impose lockdown in their jurisdiction with stringent Covid protocols based on risk assessments.

Earlier, in a bid to contain the infections across the province, The Sindh government had imposed a ban on unvaccinated individuals from entering mosques to offer prayers.

On Monday, the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) confirmed the presence of the Omicron variant in an unvaccinated Covid-19 patient in Karachi. In a statement, the hospital said the patient was isolated at home and doing well. The statement added that so far only one case of the variant had been detected in the country.

The case was also confirmed by the National Institute of Health in the federal capital. It said this was the "first confirmed case but continued surveillance of identified samples is in place to identify trends".