COVID-19: Karachi imposes mini lockdown in residential compounds

Karachi: The eateries and marriage halls in Karachi will face a closure of a minimum of three days if they are found violating the standard operating procedures (SOPs) recommended by the government to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

The decision was reached at a meeting chaired by Karachi’s Commissioner Sohail Rajput at his office to review the situation of implementation of the SOPs in different sectors of the trade and economy and also consider recent increase in coronavirus cases in Karachi.

Rajput said marriage halls and restaurants had to face closure for violating the government-recommended SOPs as there had been a phenomenal increase in new coronavirus cases in the city during the last few days.

He said that observance of the SOPs had become compulsory by different institutions as there had been a fast increase in coronavirus cases in the city during last week.

He asked the deputy commissioners posted in every district of the city to personally inspect the restaurants and marriage halls in their respective jurisdictions to take immediate action for violating the SOPs.

The commissioner said that officials of the Industries Department would also go and check due observance of the SOPs in the industrial units in the city.

He said that coronavirus testing in schools of the city had to be increased while the educational institutions found violating the SOPs had to face closure.

He said that public parks in the city would also adhere to the SOPs as no one would be allowed to enter parks without wearing a face mask.

The commissioner was briefed on the occasion that during just 24 hours 365 new coronavirus cases were reported in the city on a previous day while in the month of September alone 4,667 COVID-19 cases were reported.

He was briefed that previously Karachi had the maximum number of coronavirus cases as compared to any other city or town in the country.

After the meeting, Deputy Commissioner of District South of Karachi sprang into action and sealed nine different restaurants in different parts of the district for violating the SOPs. The restaurants are situated in Clifton, Saddar, Boating Basin, and Arambagh areas of the city.

The deputy commissioner said that he had to take the action as there was no social distancing among the customers of any of the erring restaurant.

From today, the Sindh government has also come up with the new policy of imposing a “Mini-smart lockdown” to seal the residential neighbourhoods in Karachi owing to recent alarming increase in coronavirus cases among its residents.

The Deputy Commissioner of District West of the city imposed the first such “Mini-smart lockdown” in two residential compounds of Manghopir area of the city that will remain enforced till October 15. The order has been issued in accordance with the Sindh Epidemic Diseases Act-2014. The two residential compounds have a combined population of 4,000 people.