Inter-city transport may be opened

ISLAMABAD: The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) Tuesday firmed up multiple recommendations to ease the lockdown restrictions imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus. The measures include opening of inter-provincial transportation in line with laid down Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and operationalisation of selective of Outdoor Patients Departments (OPDs) in the federal capital. The recommendations were tabled in a meeting chaired by Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Asad Umar, and included several measures that will help strike a balance between efforts to curb coronavirus and revive economic activities. The recommendations will remain in effect till May 31, if approved in next meeting.

The recommendations also include opening of phase II of the construction sector, and reopening of retail outlets. The participants proposed that shops should remain open from 9 am to 5 pm, and then again from 8 pm to 10 pm. No changes were made in the SOPs for religious festivities in the second half of the holy month of Ramazan; the measures will remain the same as previously agreed between the government and Ulema.

The meeting was attended by Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz, Minister of Industries and Production Hammad Azhar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Lt. Gen. (R) Asim Bajwa, Minister for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam, and others.

Moreover, the NCOC has directed the Rural Support Programme Network (RSPN) to extend support to the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration in curbing coronavirus. The NCOC asked the ICT administration to engage NRSP volunteers to carry out relief activities in the city in the view of COIVD-19. “The general belief among citizens that coronavirus is not as deadly as was being projected makes community mobilisation imperative to create awareness,” the NCOC noted.

The Deputy Commissioner of Islamabad Hamza Shafqaat said, volunteers would be informed about their assignments today (Wednesday) and provided required trainings before they commence community mobilisation campaign in their respective union councils. The assignments for NRSP volunteers include implementation of SOPs in mosques and commercial areas, tracing of suspected COVID-19 cases, awareness creation, identification of deserving people in the community, among others.

The NCOC was told that there are some 25,000 households in five UCs of ICT rural areas. The NRSP volunteers had access to some 19,000 households. The district administration official also apprised NCOC about initiatives taken to stem the spread of coronavirus. The meeting was attended by officials of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination, district administration, and RSPN.