ISLAMABAD: The twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad again reported 14 deaths from Covid-19 on Thursday.

Besides, the capital administration sealed the deputy commissioner’s office after 10 staff members tested positive.

The administration also asked religious seminaries to suspend all academic activities and get their hostels vacated keeping in view the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases, officials told Dawn.

They said the order was issued from the Auqaf Directorate in the light of the decision by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) to close all educational institutions in the country from Nov 26.

There are over 350 religious seminaries in the capital in which 28,000 to 30,000 students are getting education and staying, they said, adding majority of the students were from other parts of the country.

A spokesman for the capital administration, Noman Nazim, confirmed that directives were issued to religious seminaries to suspend activities and get the hostels vacated.

He said the staff members of the deputy commissioner office, who tested positive, had been asked to quarantine themselves for 14 days.

Meanwhile, Foundation University Islamabad postponed all professional exams of MBBS and BDS, a circular issued by the university said. A new schedule of exams will be intimated later, it added.

Islamabad DC office sealed after emergence of 10 cases; seminaries told to suspend academic activities

Officials said Islamabad reported 576 positive cases and eight deaths.

Five patients died at Pims and two at Capital Hospital while one patient died outside the capital.

Two of the deaths were from Tarlai, one each from G-9/1, Bhara Kahu, E-11, G-7, I-9, and Rawal Town.

Two each were from the age group of 50-59 and 60-69 and one from 40-49, 70-79 and 80-89, while the age of one deceased was not known.

During the last 24 hours, 8,016 tests were conducted in the capital and the positivity rate was 7.1pc.

They said 32 confirmed cases were reported from G-10, 27 each from G-13, E-11, 25 each from G-6, G-11, 24 from G-5, 23 each from Bahria Town, F-6, 20 from Bhara Kahu, 19 each from Soan Garden, I-10, 18 each from Tarlai, G-8, G-7, Banigala, 16 from Sihala, 15 each from Ghouri Town, PWD Colony, 14 from Golra, 13 each from I-8, G-9, 11 from F-10, 10 each from Bahria Enclave, F-7, nine each from QUA, Korang Town, Media Town, Margalla Town, eight each from I-9, Nust, F-8, F-11, seven each from F-5,

Jinnah Garden, six each from DHA II, D-12, G-125, F-15, five each from Chak Shahzad, H-13, and the remaining from other areas.

Rawalpindi

As many as six patients lost their lives in Rawalpindi district due to Covid-19 while 166 people tested positive and 34 patients were discharged from hospitals.

Commissioner retired Capt Mohammad Mehmood told Dawn that 148 of the new cases belonged to Rawalpindi and 18 were from outside the district.

He said 34 patients were discharged from hospitals, including 26 from the district and eight from adjoining districts.

As many 89 patients are from Rawalpindi city, 37 from cantonment areas, five each from Gujar Khan and Taxila, four from Murree and eight from Kalar Syedan.

Attock

Attock witnessed another spike in Covid-19 positive cases as 13 people tested positive while one died of the disease, according to data released by health authorities.

On the other hand, the tally of Covid-19 positive patients surged to 765.

District health authority chief executive Dr Jawad Ellahi informed mediapersons that among the 13 new cases, six belonged to Attock city, three to Hazro, three to tehsil Fatehjang and one to Hassanabdal.

Dr Ellahi said there are 89 active patients across the district in which 80 have been isolated at homes while nine others were in hospitals.

Taxila

Three more persons got infected with Covid-19, raising the tally to 673 in Taxila.

Deputy district officer health Dr Sara Qadeer said all the new patients belonged to rural areas of Taxila.

She said the number of active patients in the area also rose to 70 and all of them were home isolated. She said so far 578 patients have recovered from the virus.

Meanwhile, work on Karot Hydropower Project in Kahuta was temporarily suspended on Thursday after 11 Pakistani workers were diagnosed with Covid-19, taking the number of infected persons to 45, including Chinese experts.

A senior security official confirmed that coronavirus cases had emerged at Karot Hydro power project.

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, screening of all people working on the project has been started. Sources said work on the project would be started after observing the Covid-19 situation and test reports of the experts and workers.

Jhelum

As many as 16 people tested positive for Covid-19 in Jhelum. Besides, two marriage halls were sealed by the district authorities over violations of SOPs, CEO health Jhelum Dr Waseem Iqbal told Dawn.

Dr Iqbal said 34,871 people have been screened for Covid-19 so far of them 647 tested positive while 557 recovered and 10 have died. — Additional reporting by Amjad Iqbal and Hamid Asghar

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2020