Asad explains targeted lockdown

The National Command and Operations Centre ( NCOC) brief held with Planning Minister Asad Umar in the chair on Monday.

The forum took stock of targeted lockdown by provincial chief secretaries, need assessment of oxygen, data and update on resource management system (RMS) and Pak Nigheban App.

In his address, Asad said the aim of targeted lockdown was to isolate coronavirus-infected cases instead of restricting huge number of population.

He added there was a positive difference seen in the urban areas with maximum compliance of wearing masks in public places.

The forum was briefed that as many as 549 lockdowns were imposed across the country.

The Punjab additional chief secretary briefed the forum that Lahore had the largest number of corona cases and the provincial cabinet committee was going to devise the future course of action keeping in view the new hotspots.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chief secretary said there was no administrative challenge in imposing smart lockdown.

The Sindh chief secretary said the notification issued for barring the corporate sector to take any punitive action against the employees from smart lockdown areas for not attending to offices.

He also shed light on the suggestion under consideration to expand smart lockdown to further hotspot areas.

The Balochistan chief secretary informed the forum that the strategy and deployment plan for smart lockdown prepared. Under the strategy, he noted that only one individual would be allowed to visit outdoors for necessary administrative arrangements.

The AJK chief secretary said that four districts were under complete lockdown while the GB chief secretary said the decentralisation strategy was successful as the deputy commissioners in their relevant districts had efficiently contained the risk of coronavirus outbreak.

He added that the recovery rate was almost 70 percent as 865 affected people were tested and reported as recovered out of total 1,288 cases.