Coronavirus third wave: NCOC bans indoor wedding functions from April 5 onwards

Keeping in view the mushrooming of coronavirus cases across the country,  the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Sunday has completely banned indoor and outdoor wedding functions from April 5 onwards. 

A meeting of the NCOC was held on Sunday morning, chaired by Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar. The chief ministers of the other four provinces attended the meeting virtually.

The provinces, however, will be at the liberty to implement restrictions in the early time frame as per the situation on the ground.

 The government is also considering putting more restrictions on inter-provincial travelling. "Various options for reduction of inter-provincial transport were considered," a statement issued in this regard read.

However, the final decision will be taken based on the input from all provinces and an analysis of the data about the number of inter-provincial commuters via air, rail, and road, said the NCOC.

For the impositions of more lockdowns, the coronavirus monitoring body said it will provide updated hotspot maps to provinces for enforcement of expanded lockdowns, with effect from March 29, 2021.

It also directed provinces to ensure vaccination targets given by the NCOC are being met in a timely manner.

"Correct and timely data ingestion in NIMS be ensured by all provinces," it added.

The third wave of the coronavirus seems to be intensifying in the country as Pakistan reported more than 4,000 cases of the virus in a single day.

 On Sunday, the country reported 4,767 new cases of the virus over the past 24 hours.

Fifty-seven more people died from the virus while 4,767 more contracted the disease on Saturday, according to figures obtained from NCOC.