Bureau Report
MIRPUR: The government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) has allowed wedding halls to reopen in the valley, according to a notification issued on Friday. The wedding halls are allowed to hold gatherings of up to 300 people with strict adherence to the coronavirus-related standard operating procedures (SOPs). Administration of the marriage halls will be bound to provide masks and sanitizers to the attendants, the notification read. Meanwhile, only 30 people can attend marriage ceremonies being held at homes. On November 22, a complete lockdown in parts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) was enforced for 15 days after rising COVID-19 cases in the region.
This decision came during a meeting of the AJK cabinet that met with Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider in the chair. The meeting was briefed that the coronavirus situation in the valley has worsened as Covid-19 positivity rate has gone up to 19 percent.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Irfan Saleem while seeking cooperation from the public in tackling the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Mirpur district had asked them to remain indoors and avoid unnecessary movement.
In Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the positivity rate was recorded at 9.3 per cent, 7.59 per cent in Balochistan, 5.4 per cent in Punjab, 5.45 per cent in the federal capital Islamabad, 8.66 per cent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 10.69 per cent in Sindh, 17.21 per cent in Rawalpindi, 3.79 per cent in Faisalabad, 3.4 per cent in Multan, 9.28 per cent in Peshawar, 6.96 per cent in Swat, 14.49 per cent in Abbottabad, 5.65 per cent in Quetta, 13.57 per cent in Muzaffarabad, 8.8 per cent in AJK’s Mirpur and 2.25 per cent in Gilgit. In Multan, 45 per cent of ventilators dedicated for coronavirus patients are in use, 42 per cent in Islamabad, 34 per cent in Lahore and 27 per cent of ventilators dedicated for coronavirus patients are in use in Peshawar. Regarding the oxygen bends, the NCOC data showed that 38 per cent beds are being used for patients in Islamabad, 39 per cent in Multan and 60 per cent in Peshawar.
