RAWALPINDI: Three more localities identified as hotspots of the coronavirus were sealed on Monday by the district administration.

Meanwhile, eight areas that were placed under lockdown earlier - Narankari Bazaar, Bara Market, Khayaban-i-Sir Syed, Gulzar-i-Quaid, Dhoke Ali Akbar, Morgah, Kotha Kalan and Takhtpari - were unsealed after a week.

The district administration consulted with medical teams, police and traders and then sought permission from the Punjab Home Department to seal Dhoke Khabba, Gulistan Colony and the Range Road area, Lane No.4 in PIA Colony, from Monday July 6 to July 13.

Following the lockdown, police contingents were deployed on the corners of streets and roads and people were only allowed into these areas after being questioned.

Capital reports fewer positive cases than previous day

At these check points, members of the public were also asked to wear masks and gloves and to practice social distancing, as the number of Covid-19 patients reported in these areas has been rising.

Also on Monday, 32 more people were diagnosed with Covid-19, one person died at the Rawalpindi Institute of Urology (RIU) and 153 patients recovered.

Rawalpindi has now reported 5,955 cases of Covid-19, with 4,349 people have recovered. A total 245 people have died.

A 32-year-old man who lived on Peshawar Road died of the disease at RIU on Monday. In addition, 19 suspected patients were brought to various hospitals and their samples have been sent to the National Institute of Health and the Benazir Bhutto Hospital laboratory for testing.

Meanwhile, during the last two days, 202 positive cases were reported in the capital along with six deaths.

Officials said on Sunday there was a slight increase in the Covid-19 cases compared to Saturday.

There were 97 positive cases and four deaths on Saturday while on Sunday 117 people were found infected along with three deaths.On Monday, the number of positive cases was 85. Besides, three people died of the disease.

The six people who died were residents of G-8/ I-8, I-10, I-9 and Jhangi Syedan and three of them died at Pims, two at a private hospital and two in other districts.

Three of them were male and in the age group of 50-59 while the three women were aged 60-69, 70-79 and 80-89 years.

The district health office traced 261 contacts of the 117 patients and collected samples of 236 suspects. All the 117 cases have been home isolated and their 236 contacts quarantined.

On Monday, 85 people tested positive - 55 male and 30 female - taking the tally of confirmed cases in the capital to 13,494.

The number of deaths increased to 140. So far, 9,403 patients have recovered and there are 3,951 active cases in the capital.— Additional reporting by Munawer Azeem

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2020