From Abid Usman
LAHORE: While Punjab reported more than 400 daily cases on Tuesday for the first time since July, the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department declared several neighbourhoods in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan as coronavirus hotspots, announcing to put them under strict restrictions.
According to a notification from the department released late Monday night, there had been a “constant increase in positivity percentage and prevalence of Covid-19 in the province of Punjab during the last two weeks which poses a serious and imminent threat to public health”.
To curtail the spread of the disease, it further said, the government decided to enforce a lockdown in certain residential neighbourhoods in the three metropolitan cities “with immediate effect” until November 19.
The neighbourhoods in Lahore selected for the lockdown include New Muslim Town; Raza, Sikandar and Umar blocks of Iqbal Town; certain blocks in Garden Town; Cavalary Ground; DHA Phase 1 (AA Block); DHA Phase 6 (L Sector, A Sector); Askari 11; Anarkali; Mozang; Shadman and certain parts of Gulshan-e-Ravi.
Fauji Foundation University, New Lalazar; Government Girls Highschool, Kahuta and Satellite Town and Abbasi Abad were locked down in Rawalpindi. Whereas in Multan, Naqshband Colony; Gulgasht Colony/Khairabad; Mepco Colony; Khwajabad/Multan Kacheri and Sadat Colony were put under restrictions.
The notification further said all possible measures needed to be taken in the said localities to control the spread of the virus.
According to the notification, all markets, shopping malls, restaurants and offices would remain closed in these areas while movement would be restricted and all public gatherings would be banned.
Grocery stores, fruit and vegetable shops, tandoors and petrol pumps would be allowed to remain open between 9:00 am and 7:00 pm on all days of the week. Milk shops, fish and meat shops, and bakeries would be allowed to open from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm.
