ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has urged the nation to strictly observe the SoPs, particularly the wearing of the mask to protect themselves and their families against the deadly third wave of the Covid19 pandemic to avoid a “complete lockdown”. During the meeting of the National Coordination Committee (NCC) on Friday afternoon to give an update on the new coronavirus restrictions as the country battles the third wave of the virus. , PM Imran Khan urged masses to strictly observe the SoPs. New restrictions announced – markets to close by 6pm, ban announced on outdoor dining and gyms, schools in cities with positivity ratio over 5% to stay closed till Eid. The prime minister urged the masses to adopt preventive measures against COVID-19 so that the situation remained under control and the lockdown could be avoided. He regretted that the people were not observing the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) as they did during the first wave. “If masses act the same way as last year, we can address the situation in a better way,” he said and added that Pakistan was the only country that did not shut down its mosques during the last Ramazan. However, he pointed that this time, the majority of people were not careful and were not observing the SoPs. He said no doubt there was the issue of pandemic fatigue, however, stressed the need to enforce strict implementation.