PESHAWAR: With the coronavirus cases and deaths on the rise in the provincial capital, the district administration imposed smart lockdown in seven more areas on Friday.

According to the health department, 11 people died of the virus in the province during the last 24 hours and 311 were diagnosed with it different districts.

Five deaths were reported in Peshawar, two in Abbottabad and one each in Mardan, Haripur, Kohat and Bannu.

After announcing smart lockdown in nine areas of Peshawar on Thursday, deputy commissioner Mohammad Ali Asghar restricted the entry and exit of people to seven more areas in the capital city in light of the rising Covid-19 cases.

A notification of the district administration said the DC had ordered the controlled entry to and exit from those localities from 6pm on Friday until further orders to stem the spread of coronavirus and on the recommendation of the district health officer and in exercise of the powers conferred under sections 8 and 21 of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Epidemic Control and Emergency Relief Act, 2020, read with Section 22 of the National Disaster Management Authority (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Act, 2010.

The areas included Sadiqabad Colony Charsadda Road, Street 40, Mohallah Tajabad, Mohallah Qamberkhel Urmar Payan, Street 1 Sector N II Phase lV, Hayatabad, Street 6, Sector KI, Phase III, Hayatabad, Qureshi Street Faridabad VIII opposite Basher Petrol Pump Pajjagai Road, and Street 1 Darmangi Garden Warsak Road.

Covid claims 11 lives in province

“There will be no general entry to or exit from these localities by any person except those supplying essential commodities and all types of gatherings within these localities are strictly prohibited. All shops other than those of essential services (pharmacies general stores food supplies tandoori drinking water supplies emergency etc) shall remain closed within these localities. Congregation in mosques shall be restricted to five persons only.

“Anyone contravening the above directions shall render himself liable to be proceeded against under Sections 17 and 18 of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Epidemic Control & Emergency Relief Ad 2020 and/or Section 33 of the National Disaster Management Authority Act 2010,” the notification said.

Officials said under the smart lockdown policy being implemented across the country, the local administration closed a street after the emergence of coronavirus cases and trace the contact of the infected people.

They said no data was available to suggest if that strategy was effective in containing the transmission of the virus but still it was considered to be a good measure against the virus as opposed to the complete lockdown, smart lockdown enabled the people to continue their routine activities.

Meanwhile, the health department report said Peshawar continued to remain the epicentre of coronavirus incidence as 781 residents had fallen to the virus of the total 1,596 people passed away since its onset.

Also, the Covid-19 cases swelled to 22,250 with 119 new ones as the province’s total cases reached 56,875 with 311 more patients, the report added.

Haripur district recorded 30 more cases, which took the total score of the infected people to 1,712.

However, the mainstay of Covid-19 continues to remain Peshawar, where authorities are relying on the smart lockdown strategy to prevent the spread of the virus.

Published in Dawn, December 26th, 2020