Omicron spread: Karachi administration takes strict decisions to enforce Covid SOPs

KARACHI: The Karachi administration has taken strict decisions to curb the spread of COVID-19 fuelled by Omicron variant and expedite vaccination, ARY News reported on Friday.

The decisions were taken in a high-level session chaired by Commissioner Karachi Muhammad Iqbal Memon today. It has been decided to expedite Covid vaccination and achieve the targets besides taking notice of the violations in wedding halls.

The participants decided to enforce standard operation procedures (SOPs) set for the wedding halls. Memon gave go-ahead to the deputy commissioners for enforcing the Covid SOPs with the assistance of police, Rangers teams by visiting all wedding halls.

The commissioner added that the local administration should not allow entry of more than 1,000 guests at a wedding venue nor people not wearing face masks.

Deputy commissioners have been directed to constitute teams for inspecting wedding halls, markets, hotels, shopping malls and different gatherings.

For schools, the commissioner decided to take strict steps for expediting Covid vaccination of children aged above 12. It was decided to shut schools that are not cooperating with the local administration for Covid vaccination of students and staffers.

The District East administration has also started inspections of different trade centres. While taking actions, assistant commissioner Ferozabad sealed a supermarket and imposed a hefty fine, whereas, AC Jamshed Quarters also sealed many shops for violating Covid SOPs.

In an alarming trend, the COVID positivity ratio in Karachi has reached over 28 percent, however, the provincial authorities have rejected chances of a lockdown in the metropolis.

According to data shared by the federal health authorities, the COVID positivity ratio in Karachi has touched 28.80 percent after 2,081 cases have been reported out of 7226 cases performed in the city during the last 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the Sindh government has rejected the chances of imposing a lockdown in Karachi after more than one-fourth of people undergoing COVID tests have tested positive for the infection.