Lahore: The National Command & Operations Centre (NCOC) on Wednesday warned of the imposition of a stricter lockdown in the country if the public refrained from following the government’s issued SOPs to fight further COVID-19 spread, a news source reported. The NCOC made this decision while reviewing the country’s situation following the ease in coronavirus lockdown restrictions last week.
Federal Minister for Planning & Development Asad Umar chaired the NCOC meeting to review and discuss the coronavirus situation in Pakistan. He said that the government had eased the lockdown to facilitate the public; although with the condition to follow all the SOPs issued. He added that adopting safety measures was necessary at all costs since the risk of a surge in COVID-19 cases remained high.
The NCOC extended its appreciation to all provincial representatives for strictly complying with the SOPs and spreading public awareness on following the government’s guidelines. Meanwhile, Umar highlighted that the SOPs had also been shared with the industries that had been allowed to become operational during the ongoing lockdown period.
The meeting revealed that an extensive public awareness campaign was underway via radio, print, digital, and electronic media. Umar also directed the chief secretaries of all four provinces to expedite arrangements for ensuring implementation of SOPs during the Eid festivities.
The federal minister advised the public to comply with the SOPs issued and not risk the lives of the community, their loves ones, and the society. Taking individual responsibility was the only way to overcome this health hazard, he added.
