LAHORE: Following persistent increase in positivity ratio of Delta variant cases and detection of California strain of Covid-19 in the city, the Punjab government imposed a smart lockdown in 13 areas of Lahore on Saturday.

The lockdown was imposed in seven streets of Samanabad, two of Allama Iqbal Town and in some areas of Aziz Bhatti Town, Cantonment, Gulberg and Shalimar Town.

While issuing a notification in this regard, Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department Secretary Sarah Aslam said there were social grounds to take the above-mentioned step due to an increase in the positivity rate of Covid which had posed a serious threat to the public health.

She said the areas identified in the notification for smart lockdown had become hotspots for infection.

Parvez wants schools to stay closed

According to the notification, all markets, shopping malls, restaurants and public and private offices shall remain closed in these areas.

She said other necessary instructions and guidelines had also been issued for the public and residents of these localities in this respect to be followed till Aug 12.

Meanwhile, the health secretary said the scope of vaccination had been expanded to bring a maximum number of people in the net of coverage to stop spread of the Covid infection.

“The health teams vaccinated 551,089 people during the last 24 hours in Punjab which was the highest number reported across the province so far,” Sarah Aslam said.

She said the health department had been vaccinating over 500,000 people daily in Punjab for the last three days.

She said 728 more people tested positive for the virus during the last 24 hours in Punjab, taking the total number to 356,211.

Similarly, the Covid death toll reached 11,039 after the virus claimed the lives of 22 more patients across the province during the same period, she said.

Parvez: Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Parvez Elahi has demanded that the government should keep educational institutions closed and avoid playing with the lives of children and parents.

Mr Elahi was speaking to Punjab Minerals Minister Hafiz Ammar Yasir, Punjab Education Foundation Chairman Sardar Aftab Akbar and Malik Abdul Manan, who called on him on Saturday.

Mr Elahi said the fourth wave of coronavirus was a moment of contemplation and stressed that SOPs should be strictly implemented to curb the pandemic.

He said the fourth wave was spreading very fast, therefore, the government should not open educational institutions.

The meeting also formulated a plan of action for resolving the issues of NA-65, PP-23 and PP-24 constituencies.

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2021