NCOC seeks explanation from provinces over low COVID-19 testing

ISLAMABAD: National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) on Saturday sought an explanation from the provinces over a declining trend of COVID-19 testing after June 21 in the country, ARY NEWS reported.

The top body in the country dealing with COVID-19 situation mulled over on smart lockdown strategy, testing process and SOPs implemented during a meeting today.

It observed that the number of tests witnessed a decline in the country after June 21, when 30,520 tests were performed across Pakistan in a single day.

A briefing to the meeting said that the number declined to 21,033 tests on June 26 with both Sindh and Punjab provinces showing a downward trend.

Responding to it, the secretary health Sindh said that the testing process slowed down in the province due to some administrative issues, which would be sorted out within the next three days.

“The testing process will improve in the next few days,” he said.

The NCOC was also briefed that a low turnout for testing was also witnessed in parts of the country, showing a less number of people affected by COVID-19. “Most of the patients having COVID-19 symptoms have preferred to stay in home isolation,” the NCOC was apprised.

It was further briefed that the movement of citizens was restricted due to the imposition of smart lockdown in 542 COVID-19 hotspots across the country.

The meeting observed that a positive change has been witnessed in the behavior of citizens in regard to implementing precautionary measures.

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“More people are now implementing upon the SOPs,” it said.

Speaking during the meeting, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar lauded the services of the health workers during the pandemic and said that their efforts have yielded positive results in tackling the pandemic.

He urged the citizens to implement precautionary measures and asked them to adopt social distancing and wear face masks while going out.

He further assured that the federal government would extend cooperation towards provinces in dealing with COVID-19 situations and provide them with PCR machines and testing kits.