Steps taken to contain pandemic will yield results after 15 days: Asad Umar

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Saturday was apprised by the provincial chief secretaries on standard operating procedures (SOPs) compliance and smart lockdown update implemented across the country. The NCOC meeting chaired by Minister for Planning Development Reforms and Special Initiatives Asad Umar reviewed the update of targeted smart lockdowns implemented across the country, decisions and action points of NCC, oxygen and cylinders import and quantity finalization vis-a-vis disease projections and need assessment of critical medical equipment. Speaking on the occasion, Asad Umar suggested that the provincial governments should issue notification to private corporations and offices to avoid taking any punitive action against employees living in smart lockdown restricted areas for not attending their offices. He also added that the efforts and measures taken to contain the pandemic outbreak would show results after 15 days where the provincial governments should make strict compliance of measures adopted. The KP chief secretary said that around 500,000 population was restricted under the smart lockdowns implemented where the major focus was on urban areas including Peshawar, Malakand, Swat, Haripur, Nowshera and Mardan. “There was no activity or increased risk of coronavirus outbreak in other seven districts including Kohistan and Upper Chitral,” he said. The Punjab chief secretary said around eight main cities were under lockdown and less than a million population was restricted. “There is over 80 percent compliance of wearing masks in public places. Strict enforcement drive is going and as many as 12,000 transport vehicles have been fined for violating SOPs and health guidelines,” he said. The Sindh chief secretary told the forum that almost 24 districts with 5 million population was restricted under smart lockdown. The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) chief secretary said a total of 59 smart lockdowns were imposed in the valley where SOPs compliance had improved. He added that the district administration was providing free masks to masses on violation of SOPs. The Gilgit Baltistan chief secretary informed the Forum that the deputy commissioners in the provinces were authorized to lockdown the areas reporting maximum coronavirus patients. He added that the general public was complying with SOPs.