‘Covid vaccination mandatory for food sellers’

RAWALPINDI:

Amid the rising number of Covid-19 cases especially of the Omicron variant, the District Health Authority (DHA) has made it mandatory for owners and employees of shops, especially those selling food, street food and dairy products, to get themselves vaccinated.

Traders and shopkeepers have been asked to make it mandatory for their employees and helpers to wear masks and use sanitiser and gloves. Shopkeepers and their employees violating the new guidelines will face court cases.

DHA teams will start taking action in this regard from Monday. The DHA has said that apart from the two doses of the Covid vaccine, a booster shot was also mandatory for the citizens.

Rawalpindi Vegetable Market President Ghulam Qadir Mir and Karyana Association President Saleem Pervaiz Butt said that health officials have informed all trade unions about the new guidelines due to the growing number of Covid-19 cases in the city.

The unions have also issued circulars in their respective markets. All vendors have been told to get vaccine shots and use masks, gloves and sanitisers. The DHA has also provided free booster shots of Covid-19 vaccines to all trade associations.

10 new coronavirus cases surface

Meanwhile, 10 more cases of the Omicron variant were confirmed in the Rawalpindi district on Sunday, taking the daily count of cases in 24 hours to 124, while the overall positivity ratio has increased to 6.22 per cent.

District Health Department spokesman Dr Waqar Ahmed said that all the 10 new Omicron patients were in stable condition and recovering fast. He said that another 40 samples have been sent to the National Institute of Health by the Benazir Bhutto General Hospital for confirmation of the Omicron variant.

According to health officials, as many as 1,995 tests were conducted in the Rawalpindi district during the last 24 hours and of them, 124 were tested positive. So far, 1,226 Covid-19 patients have lost their lives in the district. As many as 588 patients were currently in home isolation, while 35,378 patients recovered at hospitals and were discharged. There are 40 patients undergoing treatment in six hospitals, out of which four are in critical condition, they said.

So far, as many as 475,3825 people, among them 44,562, have received their Covid-19 shots. Apart from fixed vaccination centres, health teams are also giving first and second doses to unvaccinated people at their doorsteps.

Moreover, the District Health Authority teams are going door to door to administer booster Covid vaccines to citizens aged 18 and above. DHA sources said that their priority was to provide first and second doses of vaccine to citizens up to 18 years of age. Citizens have been advised to get the vaccine, wear masks, and avoid crowded places to stay safe during the fifth wave of Covid-19.

366 new cases reported in Islamabad

Meanwhile, 366 new Covid-19 cases were reported in the federal capital in the last 24 hours, which was the highest single-day spike in almost the last three months.

National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) said on Sunday that as many as 354 cases were reported in the capital on Saturday. The NCOC said so far 110,963 cases had been reported in the federal capital with 969 deaths, while 107,969 patients had recovered completely.

Meanwhile, the Islamabad district administration has started surveillance of different areas to reduce transmission of the infection.

The Islamabad district administration has also started taking action against violation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) related to the coronavirus while visiting marriage halls, markets, and petrol pumps by its inspection teams.

The administration has directed inspection teams to issue notices to marriage halls besides imposing fines on owners of different shops in case of violation of SOPs.

Additional input APP

 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 17, 2022.