-631 smart lockdowns imposed through the country
-Overall virus tally nears 50,000 marks with 14,155 recoveries
By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Thursday was apprised that at present around 631 smart lockdowns were in place across the country whereas the testing capacity had been doubled after the launch of Test, Track and Quarantine (TTQ) strategy.
The NCOC meeting headed by Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar discussed the Epi Curve Chart, Decision Support System, TTQ update, update on task tracker and communication strategy along with standard operating procedures (SOPs) for Eid.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Digital Pakistan (SAPM) Tania Ardrius briefed the forum on Decision Support System where the NCOC officials also presented briefing on TTQ strategy update. Senior Epidemiologist Dr Rana Safdar presented the Epi Curve Chart and informed that 22 percent health workers were performing duties in the critical care, and 31 percent of the affected had recovered whereas over 1,000 were affected due to coronavirus.
Speaking on the occasion, Asad Umar said that the electoral votes data was the most authentic one to be used for Decision Support System which was also available electronically with the Election Commission of Pakistan. The forum was also briefed about the task tracker system that aimed at recording the directions and tasks assigned to various ministries and departments though the NCOC forum.
The forum appreciated the Ministries of Interior, Railways, Commerce, National Security Division, and National Disaster Management Authority for their prompt response and active feedback. National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lt Gen Muhammad Afzal on Thursday visited Balochistan to assess the COVID-19 needs of the province. United Nations Resident Coordinator (UNRC) and UN Country Director in Pakistan are accompanying the NDMA chairman during his visit to Balochistan. The chairman will meet the chief minister, chief secretary, secretary health and director general Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) during the visit to Balochistan. 20 more people succumbed to the novel coronavirus in Sindh the highest single-day jump in death toll, taking the tally of people who have died from the disease in the province to 336, according to Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.
He told a press conference that as many as 960 new infections were confirmed when 6,003 samples were tested during the previous 24 hours, taking the number of people affected by the virus to 19,624. 364 healthcare workers have been infected by the virus, seven of whom have succumbed to the disease so far, the chief minister disclosed. He further said 274 policemen have been affected, out of which 50 have recovered while five passed away. CM Murad appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan to make a national announcement to celebrate this Eidul Fitr with simplicity.
