KARACHI: The Sindh government today decided to impose a province-wide 9-day lockdown Saturday, July 31 to August 8 amid spike in Covid-19 cases. Sindh government decided this in a meeting held today in Karachi.
Sindh chief minister’s office said the restrictions will remain in place till August 8. However, businesses associated with the export sector will be allowed to operate. There will be a ban on inter-city travel and all markets will remain closed. Pharmacies, however, will remain open during lockdown.
Addressing the meeting, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said that the vaccination cards of citizens roaming the streets would be checked during the lockdown and all government offices would be closed from next week.
He warned that unvaccinated government employees would not be issued salaries after August 31.
The decision comes a day after federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar had rejected the idea of closing down entire cities to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Umar, who is also the head of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), had said that Pakistan should pursue smart lockdowns which had succeeded in the past.
However, earlier today the NCOC announced that that the forum had “critically reviewed” the disease spread in Karachi and had decided to take all possible measures to assist the provincial government.
