RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD: The twin cities saw a record rise in Covid-19 cases on Tuesday.

Islamabad witnessed a spike in the number of patients as 49 new cases were reported in a single day, taking the tally to 464.

The number of suspected patients also increased from 1,820 to 1,874 in the capital, officials said.

In Rawalpindi, another 47 people were diagnosed with Covid-19, most of them from the sealed areas of Dhoke Kashmirian and Dhoke Kala Khan as well as Habib Colony in the cantonment area, a locality populated mainly by labourers and cart vendors, adjacent to Westridge III.

Only one patient was discharged after recovering from the disease but no deaths have been reported.

Rawalpindi has had 733 confirmed cases of Covid-19, of which 214 patients have recovered and 36 died. There are currently 482 patients being treated in hospitals and 152 people isolated in their homes.

Another 279 suspected Covid-19 patients were also brought to Rawalpindi’s three hospitals whose samples have been sent to the National Institute of Health. Their results will take three to four days.

Officials from the district health authority said 679 people had tested negative for the disease in the last three days.

They said samples from close contacts of confirmed patients have been sent for testing as well.

Local administrations have quarantined 1,414 people who were in contact with confirmed patients; 1,259 people are quarantined at home, 152 in hospitals and three in dedicated facilities.

The results of 136 members of the Tableeghi Jamaat came back negative for Covid-19, while 24 members are isolated in their homes in Rawalpindi.

Sources told Dawn that the Punjab government will open markets in a few days as a result of pressure from traders. They said most of the Covid-19 patients reported in hospitals had come from the city’s downtown areas and commercial centres such as Raja Bazaar, Jamia Masjid, Fawara Chowk, Ganjmandi and Gawalmandi.

But Commissioner retired Capt Mohammad Mehmood said the Punjab government was not in a hurry to open markets. He said the government was making plans to resume business activities with limitations and safety measures.

He said traders associations were worried about their businesses and the government wanted to provide them with a conducive environment, as it cannot afford to feed all segments of society during the lockdown.

“After businesses open, people will find employment and earn a livelihood for their families,” he said.

Mr Mehmood said the government had asked for a list of places where a large number of Covid-19 patients had been detected, and the lockdown will not be eased in these areas. He said a strategy will be devised to minimise crowds in markets if they are opened to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

He said the number of Covid-19 cases was rising with 930 patients reported in all four districts including 733 in Rawalpindi, 52 in Attock, 136 in Jhelum and 12 in Chakwal.

Punjab Traders Association President Sharjeel Mir said the business community had demanded they be allowed to open markets and would adopt all necessary precautions in this regard.

“We suggested that the government open different markets at different times, as shopkeepers are facing a financial crisis. We could not pay Zakat this year because of the lack of work and our savings are at an end paying utility bills and workers’ salaries, while our goods are rusting in closed shops,” he said.

Mr Mehmood also told Dawn the government had announced incentives for low-income groups under the Ehsaas programme. A total of 138,684 families in the Rawalpindi division have received Rs12,000 per family.

Out of the total 49 cases in Islamabad, six each were reported from G-11 and I-8, five each from G-6 and Rawal Town, three each from I-10, Jhangi Syedan, Rawat and Tarnol, two each from G-7 and G-8 and I-9 one each from Alipur, E-7, F-10, F-7, F-8, G-10, G-9, Shahzad Town and Sohan.

District Health Officer (DHO) Zaeem Zia told Dawn that the virus was spreading gradually as majority of the citizens were not maintaining social distancing.

The element of fear from the virus is disappearing and people are moving around in the city and crowds are seen in markets and shopping centres, he said.

The number of positive cases would multiple if the residents did not change their behaviour and attitude about safety measures, he warned, adding on an average a positive case spread the virus to at least two more people.

Only social distancing will save the people from the virus, the official said. The increase in the positive cases is alarming and it will create problems in coming days, including shortage of facilities, to isolate and quarantine the affected people.

“It is difficult to trace contacts of a positive case but officials are working round the clock,” the DHO said.

On May 4, there were 22 positive cases and so far their 136 contacts, including family members, have been traced and their samples taken for test.

All the positive cases are isolated and their contacts are quarantined, Mr Zia said.

On an average, samples of 300 people are taken per day, including contacts of positive cases and suspects.

Since the outbreak of the virus, the health department has traced 1,952 contacts of positives cases, Mr Zia said.

Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2020