NCOC Decides To Extend Restrictions Until April 13 Amid Third Wave

The National Command and Operations Center (NCOC) has decided to extend the countrywide ban until April 13 amid the third wave of coronavirus.

According to the details, an NCOC meeting was held under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Initiatives, Asad Omar in which restrictions related to coronavirus were discussed.

After the meeting, the statement was issued by the NCOC according to which, the meeting decided that the existing restrictions have been extended till April 13.

In light of the decision, partial restrictions will also remain on educational institutions in the more affected areas, with limited business hours.

The statement further added that consultations on coronavirus restrictions and other issues during Ramadan will be held on Monday, April 12.

The NCOC clarified that a large quantity of vaccines is expected to arrive in Pakistan after Eid.

The NCOC meeting also considered the strategy for vaccination during Ramadan.

The statement on the extension of sanctions comes at a time when despite a number of measures, the spread of the third wave of the global coronavirus in Pakistan has not slowed down and for the second day in a row, more than 5,000 people in the country have been diagnosed with COVID-19

A further 5,312 people have been infected with the virus in Pakistan, while 105 patients have died, according to the official website for Statistics 19.

Asad Omar decided on March 22 to impose more sanctions in view of the growing number of cases.

The NCOC chairman later added that “strict instructions have been issued to the provinces and the Islamabad administration to implement the SOPs”.

Asad Omar had said that he has also directed to crack down on those who do not implement SOPs.

In addition, the NCOC has decided to close inter-provincial transport two days a week.

A statement issued by the NCOC further said that the decision would be effective from April 10 to April 25 and would not apply to the delivery of goods, medicines and other emergency services.

The first two cases of coronavirus in Pakistan came to light on February 26, 2020, one in Karachi and the other in Gilgit-Baltistan, after which various restrictions, including lockdown, were imposed in the country from March.

However, the easing of sanctions began in April, which was greatly relaxed during Ramadan and Eid in May, in June, the pandemic was on rising with more than 6,000 daily cases.

The spread of the virus began to decline in July and normalcy resumed in August, after which educational institutions reopened in September after six months.

However, a second wave of the virus emerged in October and later in November 2020, forcing the government to close educational institutions again at the end of November, with various restrictions imposed.