Daily Times

Provincial authorities have sealed several areas in a move under the micro-smart lockdown, as 1,123 more people across Pakistan tested positive for the deadly virus during the last 24 hours.

The Punjab government has sealed 830 places across the province after spike in COVID-19 cases, officials said on Monday. In these areas, 1416 cases of novel coronavirus were reported.

The micro-smart lockdown has been imposed in 435 spots in Lahore, which is maximum number of areas sealed in the province, sources said.

Micro-smart lockdown clamped in 37 hotspots in Bahawalpur, 35 places in Bhakkar, 17 spots in Dera Ghazi Khan, 34 places in Faisalabad and 14 spots in Gujranwala district.

Moreover, 44 places in Multan, 29 in Gujrat and scores of areas in Sahiwal, Sargodha, Sheikhupura, Sialkot and other districts of Punjab have been sealed under the micro-smart lockdown.

Meanwhile, Garho High School in Thatta was closed for a week on Monday after 11 students were diagnosed with coronavirus. The school has been closed for a week as a precautionary measure for disinfection.

The samples of the students and the teachers were taken last week, out of which 11 students have been declared positive.

It was revealed last month that most of the schools across Sindh were found flouting mask and social distancing rules, according to a monitoring report on the implementation of SOPs at educational institutions.

Officials of the Evaluation and Monitoring Department visited Sindh’s 2,108 schools and sealed 46 of them for violating the government-prescribed SOPs, the report had said.

They found most of the schools disregarding social distancing and use of mask protocols. Hand senitizer which was made mandatory at educational institutions was also found missing at these schools, the report disclosed.

Moreover, there was a lack of cleanliness in classrooms and washrooms of many schools, the report said.

On the other hand, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Monday banned the entry of visitors to all 42 airports across the country to stem the second wave of the coronavirus.

According to an advisory issued by CAA, drivers will be allowed to drop passengers at the airports’ drop lines and those coming to pick travellers up will be required to wait in their vehicles until flyers’ arrival.

The total active COVID-19 cases in Pakistan on Monday were recorded 13,242 as 1,123 more people tested positive for the deadly virus during the last 24 hours. Twelve corona patients, who were under treatment in hospital died on Sunday, according to the latest update issued by the National command and Operation Centre (NCOC). No COVID affected person was on ventilator in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Balochistan, while 119 ventilators elsewhere in Pakistan, out of 1,884 allocated for COVID-19 patients, were occupied.

Asad Umar on Monday said the government was deliberating additional measures to control the rising spread of COVID-19. Taking to Twitter, Umar said a meeting of the National Coordination Committee has been summoned to deliberate over additional measures to contain the rising spread of coronavirus in the population. Recommendations will be tabled in the NCC meeting being called for today (Tuesday), he continued. “Need to take immediate measures which have the most impact on disease spread without curtailing economic activity.” Also, Punjab Minister for Industries and Trade Mian Aslam Iqbal on Monday recovered from the novel coronavirus. “Thanks to Allah, I have been recovered from the coronavirus”, Mian Aslam Iqbal said in his statement.