ISLAMABAD: The capital administration has begun preparing to seal G-7, Loi Bher and Ghouri Town as the coronavirus continues to spread widely in these three hotspots.

Speaking to the press on Wednesdat, Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Hamza Shafqaat said these three areas are hotspots for the coronavirus and are the next to be sealed.

Disease transmission is high among local residents, as is the number of reported Covid-19 cases, he said. All three areas are being surveilled by health departments, which are working to seal them to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Another hotspot, G-6, also has a high number of reported Covid-19 cases, but the transmission rate there is low because residents live in larger houses and are staying in doors, Mr Shafqaat said.

While discussing the sealing of two sub-sectors in I-8 and I-10, he said that the objective was to protect people from the coronavirus and reduce the pressure on the healthcare sector caused by the rise in Covid-19 cases.

Disease transmission and number of reported cases high in these three hotspots, DC says

He said mosques will also be closed during lockdown and only staff may pray there. Commercial centres and parks will also be closed, due to massive violations of standard operating procedures (SOP) that have been observed inmarakizand parks in both sectors, including in Kachnar Park.

Mr Shafqaat said that the total population of the four sub-sectors - I-8/3, I-8/4, I-10/1 and I-10/2, is between 16,000 and 25,000. Arrangements have been made for residents during the lockdown period, including providing mobile utility stores so they can access essential commodities.

Health workers and essential service workers will be allowed to enter locked down areas, Mr Shafqaat said. All commercial centres and offices will stay closed other than shops selling essential commodities, pharmacies and grocery stores, bakeries and dairy and meat shops.

The lockdown will begin at 12:01am on Thursday and continue until Monday evening, when the situation regarding the spread of the coronavirus will be reevaluated.

He said that more than 200 cases and one death was reported from these areas in the last three days, and SOP violations were observed during the funeral of the deceased patient as well.

Southern parts of the capital, including I-8 and I-10, adjoin Rawalpindi, which also has a high number of Covid-19 cases. These two sectors also have a few bus terminals which will be sealed and closed.

When asked about whether the administration will seal other areas or sectors where the coronavirus is spreading, Mr Shafqaat said G-9 has been sealed for the last four days and has seen a reduction in newCovid-19 cases reported there. He said that more than 100 cases were being reported from the sector every day, which has fallen to eight or nine a day.

He said G-9 will be reopened once the spread is reduced to zero, while Ghouri Town, Loi Bher and G-7 are next in line to be sealed.

Mr Shafqaat said that 80,000 people have been tested for Covid-19 in Islamabad so far, with around 3,000 tests every day. The number of tests has led to some delay in results.

Industrial Area Superintendent of Police Zubair Ahmed Shaikh explained that 16 points in I-8/3 and I-8/4 and 18 points in I-10/1 and I-10/2 will be blocked to seal these areas. A team of five police officials will be deployed at each point, and barricades and barbed wire will be placed to intercept traffic and movement.

Meanwhile, four more residents of capital died due to Covid-19, bringing the tally to 94, sources told Dawn.

The officials of the capital administration said 385 more positive cases were reported, bringing the total number of to 9,242.

There are 6,711 actives cases as so far 2,439 patients have recovered, they added.

Rawalpindi

Another 189 people were diagnosed with Covid-19 in the garrison city on Wednesday, bringing the tally there to 4,671. Two more patients died and 282 patients have recovered.

A 75-year-old man who lived on Misrial Road was brought to Holy Family Hospital (HFH) on Tuesday and died late at night, while a 46-year-old man who lived in Chak Jalal Din on Girja Road was brought to Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) on Tuesday and died the next day.

There are currently 936 Covid-19 patients being treated in hospitals and 1,292 people isolated in their homes. Another 1,845 susepcted patients have been admitted to the city’s four hospitals and their samples have been sent to the National Institute of Health and BBH and HFH laboratories for testing.

Also on Wednesday, 32 shops in different parts of the district were sealed for violating SOPs to limit the spread of the coronavirus, while 36 vehicles were impounded and the Regional Transport Authority imposed Rs47,000 in fines on public transport for violating SOPs.

Commissioner retired Capt Mohammad Mehmood told Dawn that the Punjab government is worried by the increase in Covid-19 cases in Rawalpindi and has asked district administrations across the province to enforce SOPs in offices, shops and public areas.

Mr Mehmood said that the number of patients under home isolation in the division has increased, with 1,541 isolated in their homes for the next fortnight. He said 1,292 patients are under isolation in Rawalpindi, 187 in Attock, 42 in Chakwal and 20 in Jhelum.

Rawalpindi Medical University Vice Chancellor Dr Mohammad Umer said that at present, hospitals have the capacity to accommodate 262 patients in high dependency unit and so far 242 patients are admitted. A total of 65 ventilators are available and 17 people are placed on ventilators while there are 398 beds in isolation wards and 332 beds are still vacant and 70 isolation rooms of which 27 are still vacant.

Taxila

Two people died of Covid-19 in Attock and 12 more were diagnosed with the disease, bringing the total number of reported cases to 335.

District health authorities said that a 75-year-old woman from Samann village in Hazro died of Covid-19 at the Attock District Headquarters Hospital, while a 58-year-old man who was admitted to BBH in Rawalpindi was buried in Sultanpur near Hassanabdal.

District focal person for Covid-19 Dr Asif Arbab Niazi confirmed that 12 new cases of Covid-19 were reported in the district, of which 11 are from Attock city and one from Jand.

He said the test results of 349 suspected patients are still awaited, while 96 people have recovered so far. There are 199 active cases in the city, of whom 11 patients are being treated in various hospitals, 187 are under home isolation and one is isolation in a quarantine centre.— Additional reporting by Amjad Iqbal

Published in Dawn, June 18th, 2020