Sindh mulls complete lockdown in Karachi as coronavirus cases rise

KARACHI: As the hospitals "near saturation point"  in the  metropolis, the Sindh government is considering imposing a complete   lockdown in the city  for the next two weeks.

Members of the  provincial task force on coronavirus members said on Thursday the final decision to impose a lockdown in the port city would be taken in a meeting tomorrow at 11am, with Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah in the chair.

Provincial government officials told The News  that medical experts within the task force have asked for a complete 14-day lockdown in the city.

"Hospitals are nearing a saturation point with cases in Karachi rising rapidly," the task force members said, adding that the Sindh government was consulting stakeholders on the imposition of a lockdown.

Representatives of the Pakistan Medical Association have already demanded a complete lockdown across Sindh, the members said.

The task force members said more than 370 COVID-19 patients had been admitted to hospitals across Karachi in just the last two days. "The pressure on oxygen supply is increasing with the influx of patients."

Businesses will be shut and a complete ban on public movement will be imposed during the lockdown, the task force members said.

On a positive note, the Sindh government's suggestion to block SIM cards of people who have not been vaccinated seems to be working, with hundreds of people lined up outside Karachi's vaccination centres, Geo News reported.

A long queue of people could be seen outside Expo Centre, the biggest vaccination centre in the city.

The Sindh Health Department said in the last 24 hours 188,000 people got themselves inoculated.