Committees formed to overlook SOPs' enforcement: NCOC

Monitoring teams have been formed at federal, provincial, and district levels to ensure the implementation of coronavirus SOPs from May 8-16, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) said Tuesday.

The NCOC, in a statement, said the development came during a meeting chaired by Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar and co-chaired by National Coordinator Lieutenant General Hamood Uz Zaman Khan. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan was also present at the meeting.

During this period, all businesses and shops will remain closed with few exceptions like food outlets, grocery stores, pharmacies, petrol pumps and bakeries etc., the forum said, adding it was informed that there would be a complete ban on tourism for both locals and outsiders.

"All tourist resorts, formal and informal picnic spots, public parks, shopping malls; all hotels and restaurants in/around tourist/ picnic spots to remain closed," it said.

"Travel nodes leading to tourist spots [will also remain] closed; focus on [the areas of] Murree, Galiyat, Swat-Kalam, Sea View/beaches and the Northern Areas [will remain]," stated the statement.

'SOP compliance better since Pakistan Army’s deployment'

Meanwhile, Umar has noted a significant improvement in the implementation of coronavirus SOP compliance since the stronger enforcement measures including military deployment took place across the country.

In a tweet, the minister pointed out that national average compliance has doubled from 34% on April 25 to 68% on May 3.

"Significant improvement seen in SOP compliance since the stronger enforcement measures including military deployment took place. National average compliance has doubled from 34% on April 25 to 68% on May 3," Umar wrote on Twitter.

The minister also stressed the need to sustain and build on this compliance level especially till Eid.

3,377 new coronavirus infections

Pakistan reported 3,377 new coronavirus infections, taking the total caseload to 834,146 countrywide, according to the data provided by NCOC on Tuesday.

The country last reported 3,953 new coronavirus infections on April 5.

At least 161 new deaths have taken the country's death toll to 18,310. Most deaths in the country were reported in Punjab followed by Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The positivity rate of coronavirus cases stands at 8.9%.