ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday announced an easing of a number of coronavirus curbs — tourism among them — after mobility-limiting restrictions during prolonged Eid holidays brought down the tally of daily cases to a level deemed encouraging by the government.
Before the National Command and Operation Centre’s (NCOC) decisions were announced in a press release, Minister for Planning, Asad Umar, cautioned to reporters that there were still more than 4,500 critical patients receiving oxygen in hospitals across the country.
The decision comes as 104 more people died of Covid in the 24 hours leading to Wednesday, while 3,256 people tested positive. The tally of active infections stands at 66,377. According to NCOC data, 4,994 patients were admitted across the country, 567 of whom were on ventilators. Pakistan has so far registered a total of 886,184 cases and 19,856 deaths.
The NCOC meeting was chaired by Asad Umar and co-chaired by Lt-Gen Hamood uz Zaman Khan, during which a detailed review of disease prevalence in the country and corresponding NPIs was taken. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health, Sindh health minister and chief secretaries of all federating units attended the session via video link.
The sectors which will be reopening from May 24 are outdoor restaurants, which will be allowed to operate every day until 23:59 hours, while takeaways will be allowed 24/7.
Tourism sector under stringent Covid protocols will also resume. “Separate instructions on protocols being issued to all federating units,” the NCOC said. Education institutes will be allowed to open for on-campus learning in areas with less than 5 per cent coronavirus positivity. It will be a staggered opening. As of Wednesday, Pakistan’s positivity ratio was 8.80 per cent. Another tier of the education sector will reopen on June 7.
All secondary and higher secondary school examinations will be held after June 20. Whereas, the conduct of all professional and non-professional exams will take place on a case-to-case basis as recommended by Ministry of Education.
Outdoor marriage ceremonies with a maximum of 150 individuals in the party will be allowed from June 1. The decision is subject to a review on May 27.
Shrines, cinemas, indoor dining, indoor gyms, amusement parks, contact sports, festivals, cultural and other events will continue to be banned. However, walking tracks will remain open with strict adherence of SOPs. Interprovincial public transport will remain closed on Saturdays and Sundays beginning May 22.
Among the miscellaneous decisions the NCOC took involve compliance with compulsory mask wearing while incorporating “innovative measures for enforcement”. It also said the implementation of “broader lockdowns” with stringent enforcement protocols could also be considered based on risk assessment.
The continuation of current inbound and land border policy [is under effect] until further orders, while elective surgeries will be allowed from June 1. Previously, office working hours were restored to normal with 50 per cent work from home. Market activities were allowed as long as they closed by 8.00pm, as was public transport with 50 per cent capacity. Railways have to operate with 70 per cent occupancy. A detailed review will be carried out on May 27 and June 7 on non-performance indicators.