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Corona restrictions: Indoor weddings banned across Pakistan

Pakistan has seen a steady rise in cases in the last five days, with more than 1,000 new infections each day

By News Desk
November 07, 2020

ISLAMABAD: Indoor weddings have been banned in Pakistan in the latest coronavirus restrictions imposed by the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC).

According to a notification issued on Friday, major cities with "high positivity and higher disease spread potential" have been asked to enforce the ban. "Only outdoor marriages allowed with upper limit of 1,000 persons," read the NCOC notification.

The rule pertains to Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Multan, Hyderabad, Gilgit, Muzzafarabad, Mirpur, Peshawar, Quetta, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur, and Abbottabad. The decision will go into effect from November 20, 2020.

Furthermore, beginning tomorrow (November 7), the NCOC has directed the implementation of a "Gilgit-Baltistan model" whereby face masks must be made compulsory in the aforementioned cities. In GB, failure to do so results in a penalty of Rs100 and three masks issued on the spot. Authorities have been advised to issue similar penalties in these locations.

Additionally, public and private offices have been told to implement a 50 percent "work from home" policy. In areas identified as hotspots, relatively broader smart lockdowns have also been recommended.

Last month, NCOC said that it has observed wedding halls and indoor restaurants to be "high contributors" to the spread of the contagious disease. Following the observation, on October 9, the body issued new guidelines for wedding halls, saying that it is officially restricting the number of guests and limiting functions till 10pm.

For indoor events, a maximum of 300 guests has been allowed and for outdoor events, a maximum of 500 guests, with the gathering to only last 2 hours. The NCOC has already warned business owners to shut down before or by 10pm, in view of the rising positivity ratio in major cities of Pakistan.

The decision pertains to restaurants, wedding halls, commercial markets, shopping malls, recreational spots, such as amusement and public parks, have been asked to shut down by 6pm.

Essential services such as medical stores, clinics and hospitals will remain open. Pakistan has seen a steady rise in cases in the last five days, with more than 1,000 new infections each day.

The country recorded the highest number of coronavirus cases since July 24 in the last 24 hours when 1,376 cases were reported by the national dashboard. On July 24, a high of 1,487 was reported, following which a steady decline in cases had been witnessed.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said that "strict action" would be taken against people failing to follow the prescribed coronavirus safety measures as cases are on the rise in the province.

Chairing a meeting of the province's coronavirus task force, Shah said that amid rising cases, the authorities need to ensure that people take precautions. The spokesperson for Sindh government Murtaza Wahab, information minister Nasir Hussain Shah, Chief Secretary Sindh Mumtaz Ali Shah, Sindh Inspector-General Mushtaq Mehar, Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Shalwani, and others attended the meeting.

"Cases are on the rise in Karachi and Hyderabad," the chief minister said, adding that safety measures should be ensured everywhere in the province. CM Shah said that the implementation of SOPs must be ensured at all places of worship. "Where SOPs aren't being followed, we must take stern action."

Issuing directions for making face masks mandatory at all public places, he said that the provincial government would be forced to take stricter action if SOPs are not implemented. The development comes after Sindh recorded 579 cases — more than Thursday's tally that had surpassed nearly three months' infections toll.

Moreover, with 579 new cases, Sindh's tally has lifted to 148,922. The province's death toll stands at 2,667 after three more patients succumbed to the disease. Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Shalwani made wearing face masks compulsory for the citizens as coronavirus cases continue to rise in the metropolis.

The commissioner warned that if citizens do not comply with the rule, they will be slapped with a fine of Rs500. The development comes soon after Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah said "strict action" will be taken against people failing to follow the prescribed coronavirus safety measures.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to impose a smart lockdown in Peshawar that will go into effect tomorrow, as coronavirus cases across the country surge. A notification from the deputy commissioner Peshawar's office ordered the "controlled entry and exit" of the localities in Peshawar.

The notification made it clear that the lockdown will be effective from November 7, 04:00 pm till further orders by the competent authority. Authorities have banned any person from entering or exiting these localities except for those selling essential commodities and prohibited all gatherings within the specified localities as well.

"All shops other than those of essential services (pharmacies, general stores, food supplies, tandoors, drinking water supplies, emergency etc.) shall remain closed within these localities. Congregation in mosques shall be restricted to five persons," stated the notification.

The district health office has been tasked to ensure health services to people in the localities under lockdown. Meanwhile, the Punjab government issued health guidelines for the Tableeghi Ijtima 2020, which will go on till Nov 8 — amid a worsening coronavirus situation in Pakistan, with infections on the rise and the death rate creeping up.

A coronavirus awareness booklet published by Punjab's Primary & Secondary Health Care Department (P&SHD) contains messages and guidelines on washing hands and wearing face masks to prevent the illness from spreading among the Tableeghi Ijtima 2020 participants.

The Punjab P&SHD, however, has banned the entry of people from abroad. According to the provincial health department, an estimated 54,000 people are expected to attend the Tableeghi Ijtima 2020. However, organisers have prohibited anyone under the age of 12 and over 55 from attending the event.

In its coronavirus-related guidelines, it added that participants would not be allowed to shake hands or hug and that the gatherings should be held in open spaces.

The Punjab P&SHD demanded the Amir Jamaat of the Tableeghi Ijtima 2020 prepare a list of all the people and send it to the coordination committee. It further directed people in the gathering to have a stockpile of face masks.