Covid-19 kills eight more, infects another 1,118 in Sindh

Eight more people have died due to Covid-19 and 1,118 others have tested positive for the disease during the past 24 hours in Sindh, with the death toll due to the viral coronavirus infection reaching 5,607 in the province.

Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said in his daily situation report on the health emergency on Sunday that 15,998 samples were tested in the past 24 hours, resulting in 1,118 people, or seven per cent of those who were screened, being diagnosed with Covid-19.

The provincial government has so far conducted 4,678,919 tests, which have resulted in 347,461 positive cases, which means that 7.4 per cent of those screened have been found to be infected, he added.

Shah said that after the latest deaths, the rate of the diagnosed people who have lost their fight with Covid-19 stands at two per cent in Sindh.

He said that 24,187 people across the province are currently infected: 23,326 are in self-isolation at home, 60 at isolation centres and 801 at hospitals, while 739 patients are in critical condition, of whom 61 are on life support.

He added that 256 more people have recovered during the past 24 hours, increasing the number of cured patients to 317,667, which shows the recovery rate to be 91.4 per cent.

The CM said that out of the 1,118 fresh cases of Sindh, 873 (or 78.1 per cent) have been reported in Karachi Division: 249 of the city’s new patients are from District East, 235 from District South, 160 from District Central, 118 from District Korangi, 75 from District Malir and 36 from District West.

As for the other districts of the province, Hyderabad has reported 75 new cases, Naushehroferoze 31, Mirpurkhas 15, Tando Allahyar 13, Sanghar 12, Jamshoro 11, Tharparkar and Nawabshah 10 each, Badin and Umerkot nine each, Matiari eight, Dadu seven, Thatta six, Ghotki four, Tando Muhammad Khan three, Khairpur two, and Larkana and Sujawal one each, he added. The chief executive reiterated his appeal to the people of Sindh that they should comply with the standard operating procedures devised by his provincial government.

New SOPs

On the directives received from the Government of Sindh, the provincial home department has issued new standard operating procedures (SOPs), which include the checking of vaccination status before allowing people in public establishments, adds Salis bin Perwaiz.

The notification issued by the department states that in a letter dated July 9, the National Command & Operation Centre (NCOC) had conveyed that amid low disease prevalence in Pakistan, the NCOC had eased restrictions on various business activities all across the country.

In this connection, the home department also issued a relevant order, but the provincial government has observed that the attitude of the public towards compliance with the SOPs mentioned in the order has been tantamount to dismissal.

Now, therefore, in order to curb the tendency of further spread of Covid-19 and its different variants, especially in view of the approaching Eidul Azha and to forestall the possibility of a fourth wave, the following SOPs have been notified for compliance by everyone concerned.

Restaurants

The managements of restaurants, hotels and other eateries will ensure that their respective establishments are declared vaccinated zones through the display of banners at the main entrances and prominent locations for the awareness of the public.

They are also to ensure that standees are displayed at prominent places within the facilities declaring that all their employees are vaccinated. Lists of all employees with their vaccination certificates are to be made available at the entrance to be checked by the district administrations.

It will also be preferable if every employee is wearing some kind of a badge or any other thing to indicate that they are vaccinated.

The managements are to also establish dedicated screening desks with the required infrastructure and IT equipment as well as trained staff to check the vaccination certificates of the guests.

They can check the vaccination status of the guests by sending their CNIC number to 1166, scanning the QR code on the certificate with a smartphone or entering the vaccination certificate serial number at nims.nadra.gov.pk.

Each guest should be in possession of their CNIC, and every eatery’s screening staff should check their vaccination status on the basis of the ID card. In no eventuality will the vaccination

status be checked through the provision of the CNIC number alone.

To create a vaccinated environment, regular announcements will be made within the dining facilities in accordance with the instructions of the government and the NCOC, stating that indoor dining is allowed for only vaccinated individuals, so only vaccinated individuals should visit indoor dining establishments to avoid any inconvenience.

Advance online booking and reservation should be encouraged to ensure the availability of the indoor dining facilities for only vaccinated individuals. Menu cards for indoor dining facilities should include the following text: “Indoor dining services are available for vaccinated individuals only.”

Management and staff members are to wear masks in the facilities at all times. No facility is to accommodate guests beyond 50 per cent of its total seating capacity or remain open beyond its prescribed timings. They are to maintain the vaccination records of all the guests to be checked by the district administrations.

Wedding halls

The management of indoor wedding halls will ensure that their respective establishments are declared vaccinated zones through the display of banners at the main entrances and prominent locations for the awareness of the public.

They are also to ensure that standees are displayed at prominent places within the facilities declaring that all their employees are vaccinated. Lists of all employees with their vaccination certificates are to be made available at the entrance to be checked by the district administrations.

The managements are to also establish dedicated screening desks with the required infrastructure and IT equipment as well as trained staff to check the vaccination certificates of the guests.

They can check the vaccination status of the guests by sending their CNIC number to 1166, scanning the QR code on the certificate with a smartphone or entering the vaccination certificate serial number at nims.nadra.gov.pk. Wedding invitation cards should include the following text: “Only vaccinated guests are allowed to attend indoor weddings.”

Management and staff members are to wear masks in the facilities at all times. No facility is to accommodate more than 200 guests, regardless of their total seating capacity. They are to maintain the vaccination records of all the guests to be checked by the district administrations.

According to the home department’s notification, the same set of SOPs is to be complied with by the managements of every gymnasium in the province.