NCOC imposes new restrictions in major cities as COVID-19 cases rise

NCOC imposes new restrictions in major cities as COVID-19 cases rise! These restrictions will apply from August 3-31.

The Chief of National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Federal planning minister Asad Umar on Monday announced revised restrictions for a number of cities amid the fourth wave of the coronavirus in the country.

Addressing a press conference after a meeting of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), said that the government took “targeted and staggered” decisions to curb the spread of the virus in order to minimize the impact on the poor sections.

The new revised restrictions to he imposed are as following:

• All commercial activities will be closed by 8 pm instead of 10 pm
• Indoor dining will remain banned
• Outdoor dining will be allowed until 10 pm instead of 12am, while takeaway and home-delivery services from restaurants will be allowed 24 hours a day
• Resumption of 50 percent work-from-home policy
• Public transport to operate with 50pc occupancy
• Two days in a week to be observed as safe days with provinces free to choose

The restrictions will apply in the cities including: 

• Rawalpindi, Lahore, Faisalabad, and Multan in Punjab;
• Peshawar and Abbottabad in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa;
• Karachi and Hyderabad in Sindh (after the current partial lockdown in Sindh ends on Aug 8);
• Islamabad; Muzaffarabad and Mirpur in Azad Kashmir;
• Gilgit and Skardu in Gilgit-Baltistan.