Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: On Wednesday, Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar who also heads the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), announced the removal of all Covid-19 related restrictions across the country.

“The pandemic has not ended yet but undergoing the ending phase,” Umar said while addressing a press briefing, alongside Dr Faisal Sultan the Prime Minister’s Aide on health affairs.

“The positivity ratio has been continuously decreasing in the country for the last seven to eight weeks,” the minister said, adding that the number of patients’ admission to hospitals has also declined.

“However, the vaccination will be compulsory and the condition to get vaccinated will remain in force,” Umar said.

“The coronavirus disease still exists, we will monitor it regularly on daily basis,” he said.

“We have made this decision (of withdrawal of restrictions), keeping in view of the science and the facts,” the minister said.

He said the vaccination of 70 percent population has been completed so far, adding that the condition of vaccination for air travel will remain in force.

“We have taken all decisions from the NCOC platform jointly and the provincial governments and officials have played important role in it,” Asad Umar said.

“Taking the situation into account, we have to come out of this pandemic and for that we need a period of transition to move towards normal life,” he said.

He said that God knows whether the pandemic will completely end but currently it seems like it will linger on and be a part of life across the globe.