ISLAMABAD: Chattha Bakhtawar and Lohi Bher are emerging as the new Covid-19 epicentres in the capital after a number of cases were reported in these areas.

The administration is considering sealing both areas and has sought advice from health authorities in this regard, capital administration officials said.

The total number of Covid-19 cases in Islamabad has increased from 154 to 163 in the last 24 hours, they said. Cases were reported from Chattha Bakhtawar, Lohi Bher, Taramri, Bhara Kahu and G-6/1.

Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Hamza Shafqaat told Dawn that 18 cases were reported in the past 48 hours. The majority of these were in Lohi Bher, followed by Taramri and Bhara Kahu. Some cases have also been reported in other parts of the city.

Four of Saturday’s nine new cases were reported in Chattha Bakhtawar, he said, adding that the area is emerging as another disease epicentre in the capital and sealing it to prevent the spread of the coronavirus to other areas is under consideration.

Nine more cases reported on Saturday in Chattha Bakhtawar, Lohi Bher, Taramri, Bhara Kahu and G-6/1

Mr Shafqaat said the situation in Lohi Bher is also alarming since around 18 cases have been reported there.

Both areas are under the observation of health departments, including the District Health Office, and the confirmed patients and their families are isolated in their homes.

Suspected patients have been asked to self-isolate, he said. Test results of the relatives of confirmed patients and other suspected patients are awaited.

Mr Shafqaat said the decision to seal the area will be made in two to three days because it will be based on the results of the reports. He added that six localities in Taramri are still sealed, as the coronavirus is spreading among residents.

The virus is also continuing to spread in Bhara Kahu even though the area has been unsealed, Mr Shafqaat said, adding that the situation there is not as serious as it is in Lohi Bher, Taramri and Chattha Bakhtawar.

Officials in the administration said a house in G-6/1 was sealed after two people there tested positive for Covid-19.

The other residents of the house have been screened and tested, and their reports are awaited.

They have been isolated at home and a notice has been affixed at the house to keep the community informed and protected, they said.

There are currently 362 people in the capital’s 16 quarantine centres, of whom 34 have tested positive. There are 23 patients at the Hillview Hotel, five at the OGDCL hostel in I-9, three at Hotel Margalla, two at Hotel Pak Continental and one at Hotel Ballagio.

Restaurants in the capital have been allowed to offer takeaway and delivery services without time restrictions for 24 hours, officials said, while all shops included in the April 15 order may stay open until 8pm.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2020