'Karachi's coronavirus-sensitive areas to be put under lockdown from Thursday'

KARACHI: Coronavirus hotspots in Pakistan's financial capital were to be locked down starting Thursday, the city's commissioner said late Wednesday.

In an update, Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Ali Shallwani said a decision has been made to lock down the metropolis' sensitive areas by 7pm on Thursday. The move comes in light of a report from the deputy commissioner Karachi that determined the coronavirus hotspots.

Shallwani would soon issue a notification with details of the areas to be locked down to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

Any movement in the restricted hotspot areas would be banned during the lockdown, the update mentioned.

A day prior, the deputy commissioners of three of Karachi's districts had identified the hotspots.

All 43 union councils in the West, East, and Korangi districts were recommended to be locked down.

More than 157,000 infections and 3,000 deaths have been reported due to the coronavirus all over Pakistan, with close to 60,000 cases in both Sindh and Punjab.

Earlier this week, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) had issued a list of 20 cities identified as coronavirus hotspots across Pakistan and, a day later, certain areas of the major cities were under a "smart lockdown".

“A total of 20 cities across Pakistan have been identified as having likely increase in ratio/speed of infection which needs restrictive measures for containment,” a statement by the NCOC issued Monday read.

In Sindh’s Ghotki, four areas have been sealed and section 188 imposed after it was identified as one of the areas.

The other cities identified by the NCOC were Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala, Swat, Hyderabad, Sukkar, Sialkot, Gujarat, Ghotki, Larkana, Khairpur, DG Khan, Malakand, and Mardan.

The NCOC noted that the test, trace and quarantine (TTQ) strategy was aimed at identifying disease spread, focused clusters/hotspots to enable targeted lockdowns and need-driven resource optimisation at all levels.

A few day ago, National Information Technology Board (NITB) Chief Executive Shabahat Ali Shah had shared a geographical snapshot of the city's coronavirus hotspots.

"Please stay indoors," Shah had urged.

Emerging coronavirus hotspots

1) District Korangi

Korangi Town

 UC-2 Makhdoom Bilawal, Qayyomabad-A & B Area, Allahwala Town, Nasir Colony, P&T Colony, Darrusalam.

Malir Town

UC-I Moinaabad Phase 3, Sl, 35/3 Model Colony, Jaffar Bagh and Nashtar Square.

Landhi Town

UC-9 36-B Area near to Street Rehmania Masjid, Awami Colony, Imambargh Wali Asar Area and Power House Area.

Shah Faisal Town

UCO Millat Town, A1-Falah Society  and Malir Halt.

o UC-9 CAA Colony, Cantt. Bazar and Old Iqbalabad.

2) District South

UC Karachi Cantonment: Barzata

Line and Doli Khata

UC Kharadar-3: Lee Market

UC Saddar-8: Burns Road, M.A. Jinnah Road, Main Saddar and Urdu Bazaar

UC Phase VI: Khayaban-e-Badar and Khayaban-e-Muhafiz.

UC Lyari: Agra Taj-2 and Behar Colony.

3) District East

Gulshan Town

Jamshed Town

UC-I Muhammad Ali Society

UC-2 Bahadurabad and Block 14

UC-4 Essa Nagri

UC-6 Block 13 (A&C)

UC-7 Guishan-e-Jama1

UC-8 13-D/II

UC-9 Block 7

UC-IO Block 14, 15, 11, Gulistan-e-

Johar Block 2

UC-12 Sachal Goth and Rabia Petal.

UC-13 Safoora

UC-14 Rufi Lake Drive Inn. and Gulistan-e-Johar 13.

Jamshed Town

UC-6 PECHS Block 2 Tariq Road and Block 6

UC-7 PECHS Block 11 and Block 6

UC-8 Balti Mohalla

UC-IO Martin Quarters and Fatima Jinnah Colony.

UC-I I Jamat Khana, Jahangir Road Quarters No. 02, Jahangir Road No.

01, Teen Hatti and Bijli Ground.

UC-12 Soilder Bazar Numaish Area.

4) District West

UC-S (Songal): Gulshan-e-Maymar and Khuda Ki Basti Phase 2

UC-3 (Islam Nagar): Naval Colony, Sector 4

UC-5 (Saeedabad): Area 5G, 5J, A3

UC-4 (Metroville): Block 3

UC-6 (Frontier Colony): Sector 4 & 5 near Malakand Hospital, Ismaili

UC-6 (Ghaziabad): Christian Colony

5) District Malir

UC-3 (Cattle Colony): Road No. 09, Complete Commercial Market area).

Gulshan-e-Hadeed-6: Complete Commercial Markets Of Phase-I & Phase-II.

UC-5 (Jaffer e Tayyar): Jinnah Square Commercial Market.

UC-I (Muzafarabad): D Area (Main  Commercial Market Road from 50 Bedded Hospital to 52 Wing Pakistan Rangers), Old Area (Main Commercial Market Road), Jacob Line (Main Commercial Marekt Road), Majeed Colony Sector I & II (Main Commercial Markets and Muzafarabad Rerhi Road (Main Commercial Markets from Hospital Chowrangi to Hussain Chowrangi)

UC-3 (Dawood Chowrangi): Main Commercial Markets from Dawood Chowrangi towards 89 Petrol Pump.

UC-4 (Quaidabad): Main Quaidabad, Gosht Gali, Murghi Khana Main Commercial Market, Majeed Panwala area near Mobile Market and All Mobile Markets.

6) District Central

Gulberg : Selected streets of  Joharabad.

North Karachi : Bab+Ghazi Apartrnent Sector I I -E North Karachi selected streets and Anarkali Market.