KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Thursday directed divisional administration to ensure enforcement of complete ban on intercity transport from Friday, adding that this ban would also apply to transport coming from other provinces.

“If any transport manages to enter any district it would not be allowed to go back to its original destination as long as the ban is enforced,” he further ordered.

The chief minister took this decision while presiding over a Coronavirus Task Force meeting here at CM House.

The meeting was attended by relevant ministers, government officials and representatives of Corps-5, Rangers and the WHO.

At the outset of the meeting the decisions taken in the last task force meeting held on April 26 were reviewed.

The chief minister was told that as per decision micro or complete lockdown had been enforced in the areas where positivity of Covid-19 cases was more than 15 per cent.

Currently, micro-lockdown had been enforced in Karachi East and South and Hyderabad.

The CM was told that essential departments were only working on urgent and important matters.

The meeting participants were informed that some private offices were defying government instructions.

At this the CM ordered the commissioner of Karachi to seal such offices without delay.

The meeting was told that intercity transport was being closed from Friday, April 30, and intra-city transport would be allowed with SOPs.

The chief minister disclosed that he had spoken with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister about the decision of provincial task force regarding ban on inter-city passenger bus services and would talk to other chief ministers.

The CM was told that hospitals had stopped elective surgeries and OPDs were functioning as per decision of the task force.

The meeting was told that complete ban on indoor and outdoor dining in restaurants had been enforced, except takeaway and home delivery services.

Covid positivity ratio

Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho told the meeting that during last seven days, 29,981 tests were conducted in Karachi against which 3,148 cases were detected constituting 10.50pc positivity rate.

She said in Hyderabad 7,919 tests were conducted against which 1,246 cases were diagnosed that came to 15.73pc positive ratio.

In Sukkur, 4,152 tests were conducted which detected 316 cases that constituted 7.61pc ratio.

The health minister said that in other districts of the province 58,554 tests were conducted which detected 1,847 cases.

Bed occupancy

The meeting was informed that there were 666 ICU beds with ventilators, of them 50 were occupied and 454 were vacant.

There are 1,872 ICU beds with oxygen facility, out them 343 are occupied and 1,529 are vacant.

There are also 1,374 low-flow beds, of them only 25 are occupied and 1,349 are vacant.

The commissioner told the chief minister that 28 vaccination centres were set up in Karachi, including five in Central, six in East, four Korangi, three Malir, four South and six West.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2021