Karachi (Web Desk): The Sindh government on Friday announced to impose lockdown in the province till August 8 due to the rising number of coronavirus cases.
The decision was taken in a meeting of Sindh coronavirus task force chaired by Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah which was attended by provincial ministers, medical experts and representatives of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA.
For the first time, parliamentary leaders of political parties were also invited to the COVID-19 task force meeting. Sindh Ranger Director General also attended the meeting.
The Sindh health department had proposed a two-week lockdown to the task force, while medical experts had proposed a two-week ban on inter-city transport.
A proposal was also made to close all educational institutions and educational activities for two weeks.
The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) had opposed the idea of a complete lockdown in Karachi and the head of the forum, Asad Umar, said that closing the entire city for weeks is not a cure.
The Sindh government, however, had said that it does not care what the federation says and that the only immediate solution to bring down virus cases was a lockdown.
Here are some of the key decisions that were made during the meeting of the provincial coronavirus task force.
* There will be a ban on inter-city travel
* All markets will remain closed. Pharmacies, however, will remain open
* Businesses associated with the export sector will be allowed to operate
* Vaccination cards of citizens roaming the streets will be checked
* All govt offices will be closed from next week
* Unvaccinated govt employees will not be issued salaries after August 31
The decision goes into effect from tomorrow (Saturday).
