In view of the worsening situation in the country with regard to coronavirus, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Saturday issued new instructions, according to which only vaccinated individuals will be allowed to enter mosques and other places of worship.
The forum undertook a detailed review of the disease’s current situation in the country and agreed to implement a series of protocols to stem the virus’ spread. Apart from restricting entry to vaccinated individuals, entrants will also have to wear masks and maintain a social distance of six feet along with frequent hand sanitisation.
The NCOC directed that carpets at places of worship be removed and attendance for prayers should be minimal. It further decided that Friday sermons should be brief, and doors and windows should be open to ensure ventilation, though it would be preferable to hold prayers in open spaces.
The forum also advised the elderly and people with comorbidities to “preferably offer prayers at home”, also recommending that ablutions be performed at home. The curbs come a day after Pakistan recorded its highest number of daily Covid-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic with 7,678 cases. It may be mentioned here that Pakistan on Saturday logged 12 deaths and another 6,540 infections, as 58,902 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, NCOC data showed. The positivity ratio, however, stood at 11.10%, down from 12.93% a day earlier.
Following the new infections, the overall cases have reached 1.36 million, while the death toll now stands at 29,077. According to NCOC, 13,100 people have succumbed to the epidemic in Punjab, 7,730 in Sindh 5,969 in KP, 975 in Islamabad, 749 in Azad Kashmir, 367 in Balochistan, and 187 in GB so far.
Also, more than 1,000 patients infected with coronavirus are currently in critical care across Pakistan, according to official figures, as the Covid-19 situation worsens due to the Omicron variant.
The patients on critical care have reached 1,055, up from 961 a day earlier, after the condition of 94 worsened yesterday.
Meanwhile, Sindh Minister for Information Saeed Ghani on Saturday said no decision had been made on the imposition of a lockdown in the province, even as Covid-19 cases continue to rise at an alarming rate.
“The pressure on hospitals is not as bad as it was seen during the previous waves,” he said, adding that the Sindh government has “upgraded” hospitals and people have been vaccinated.
