The National Command and Operations Center (NCOC) on Wednesday, directed markets, shopping malls, restaurants and shopping malls to be closed at 10 pm sharp amid increasing COVID-19 cases in the country.
According to details, government issued new directives to tackle continuous surge in COVID-19 cases as the country like many other around the world, embraces for its second coronavirus wave.
The new COVID-19 SOPs directs restaurants, wedding halls, commercial markets and shopping malls to close at 10 pm to curb further spread of the novel virus.
Meanwhile, parks and recreational spots are directed to be shut down from 6 pm.
In addition to it, NCOC has also made it mandatory to wear face masks in public, directing provincial administration to ensure strict implementation of COVID-19 SOPs and preventive measures.
Moreover, authorities in Federal Capital Islamabad have announced to penalize people who fail to wear masks in public via fines.
Earlier, NCOC had approved the use of antigen testing for screening coronavirus patients amid increasing cases in the country. The decision to allow antigen testing was made to increase testing and screening of possible COVID-19 patients.
It is to be noted that Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on National Health Services Dr Faisal Sultan on Tuesday, had revealed that Pakistan was witnessing its second COVID-19 wave.
Pakistan’s COVID-19 tally stands at 330,200 cases with 6,759 deaths so far. A total of 825 cases along with 14 casualties were reported in the last 24 hours.
A total of 311,814 people have recovered from the novel virus in Pakistan, whereas 4,347,155 COVID-19 tests have been conducted so far.
