ISLAMABAD – Amid deteriorating health situation in the country, the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) has decided to reduce the inflow of passengers from foreign countries.
The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar on Thursday.
Inbound international flights will be reduced from May 5 to 20, the NCOC said, adding that a review in this regard will be held on May 18.
As the oxygen supply is under stress due to rising number of coronavirus cases, the top monitoring body has given go-ahead to import the life-saving gas and cylinders to tackle any untoward situation.
The forum has approved import of 6000 metric ton of oxygen and 5,000 cylinders.
Furthermore, Pakistan will start administrating vaccine doses to people aged 40-49 from May 3.
The NCOC also decided to close Misri Shah scrap industry to ensure the supply of oxygen in the country.
COVID Situation in Pakistan
On Thursday, Pakistan’s coronavirus positivity rate increased to 9.6% after the country registered over 5,000 new infections.
After 57,013 tests were conducted around the country, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) reported that 5,480 individuals tested positive for the coronavirus.
The overall number of COVID-19 cases has now reached 815,711, with the majority of cases being registered in Punjab.
So far, 708,193 recoveries have been made around the country, with 89,838 active cases as of today.
Pakistan had just recorded the largest single-day death toll since the pandemic began last year, with over 200 new deaths.
In light of the outbreak, the government is considering enforcing a lockdown in 20 cities from May 2/3.
The coronavirus situation is extremely bad in 20 cities throughout Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, according to a list, and the authorities struggling to contain the virus’s spread.
Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Bahawalpur, Hyderabad, Peshawar, Dir Lower, Mardan, Nowshera, Malakand, Charsadda, Swat, Swabi, Muzaffarabad, Sudhnuti, Poonch, and Bagh are among the cities where a lockdown may be enforced.
