Zubair Qureshi
Residents of Islamabad and Rawalpindi while assuming Covid-19 is gone and out are caught in worst type of Eid shopping frenzy and one could see on Thursday markets and shopping centres crowded with customers purchasing clothes and shoes for the upcoming Eidul Azha announced to be on Aug 1.
Not only in general markets, the number of customers in the cattle markets, is also picking.
Although some preventive measures are taken at these markets of sacrificial animals, yet majority of the customers and animal dealers are not following health guidelines. At general markets and shopping centres too, very few people are seen even wearing masks and following SOPs.
This is a reminder of the scenes witnessed two-month back when in May before Eid al Fitr and the entire efforts of the district and health administrations had come down to the ground. Islamabad on Thursday reported 21 new cases of coronavirus and one death. This is a marked reduction from Wednesday’s 76 cases counted in one day. Now the federal capital’s total cases of coronavirus stand at 14,722, deaths at 162 and recovered cases 12,023. According to a team of district administration that visited the cattle market Taramri Chowk, majority of the people at the market did not appear to be following public health guidelines, and were not even wearing masks.
“We have controlled the virus in the federal capital after a rigorous effort, and we cannot afford its reemergence in the city,” Islamabad’s focal person on Covid-19 Dr Zaeem Zia told Pakistan Observer.
People at the cattle market were seen without masks, and they were not mindful of the fact that they were touching this tongue with fingers while counting currency notes. Many people habitually touched their mouths before counting currency notes.
A random test was conducted at the market and some 70 samples were collected. In the light of these test results, we shall decide further course of action, he said.