ISLAMABAD: National Command and Operations Centre has issued SoPs for major cities with high positivity and higher disease potential to check spread of COVID-19.
According to a notification, public and private offices have been asked to ensure that fifty percent of their staff members work from home.
Under the new guidelines, wearing of mask and ‘work from home’ policy have been made compulsory throughout the country from Saturday (today), while the ban on indoor marriages will be enforced from Nov 20.
The NCOC observed that since 16 major cities of the country were highly sensitive these days due to Covoid-19 positivity among the people, the “non-pharmaceutical interventions” (NPIs) or new guidelines would remain in force till January 2021.
The cities with high positivity and higher disease spread potential are: Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Multan, Hyderabad, Gilgit, Muzzafarabad, Mirpur, Peshawar, Quetta, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur and Abbottabad.
The NCOC official said a model for enforcement of mask wearing was being implemented under which those fined Rs100 for not wearing mask would be given three masks on the spot. “In fact it is not a fine; the money to be received as fine will be utilised to buy mask for the violator so that he/she can wear mask at the spot,” he added.
About the ban on indoor marriages, the official said only outdoor marriages would be allowed with upper limit of 1000 persons. “The ban will be enforced with effect from Nov 20 so that already arranged marriages at indoor venues can take place,” he added.
He said that 50pc of the staff in all public and private offices would be allowed to work from their homes as the offices could only accommodate 50pc staff.
Meanwhile, the provinces have been asked to follow the policy of smart lockdowns based on hotspot areas (where cases of Covod-19 will be reported).
