The Sindh government has decided to impose a lockdown in the province from tomorrow (Saturday) till August 8 amid rising Covid-19 cases.
The decision was taken during a provincial coronavirus task force meeting presided over by Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Friday.
According to a handout issued by the CM's office, restrictions will remain in place till August 8. However, businesses associated with the export sector will be allowed to operate.
There will be a ban on inter-city travel and all markets will remain closed. Pharmacies, however, will remain open.
Addressing the press conference, the chief minister said that the vaccination cards of citizens roaming the streets would be checked during the lockdown and all government offices would be closed from next week.
He warned that unvaccinated government employees would not be issued salaries after August 31.
The decisions come a day after federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar rejected the idea of closing down entire cities to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Umar, who is also the head of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), said on Thursday that Pakistan should pursue smart lockdowns, a strategy that had succeeded in the past.
However, earlier today the NCOC announced that that the forum "critically reviewed" the disease spread in Karachi and decided to take all possible measures to assist the provincial government in combatting the rise in cases.
‘Situation could turn terrifying'
Doctors attending today's meeting warned participants that the Covid-19 situation in the province could turn "terrifying” and sounded alarmed over the increasing pressure on hospitals as well as the rapid spread of the highly contagious Delta variant as cases continue to rise after Eidul Azha.
Sindh Health Secretary Dr. Kazim Jatoi informed the meeting that a positivity rate of 13.7 percent was recorded in the province, while 39,958 active cases had been reported as of Friday.
He said 1,410 of the patients were admitted to hospitals, 1,192 were critically ill and 102 were on ventilators.
The health secretary said that the positivity rate in Karachi during the last 24 hours was 23pc, 14.52pc in Hyderabad and 2.9pc in Sukkur.