PESHAWAR: The district administration has imposed smart lockdown in seven areas of provincial capital as the positivity of Covid-19 swabs has risen to 16 per cent in the hardest-hit district of the province.

On Wednesday, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported 13 deaths due to coronavirus and 356 new cases, making total number of province-wide mortalities and incidence 1,502 and 53,609 respectively since the onset of the pandemic.

Peshawar continues to record the highest number of total fatalities and cases, prompting the administration to impose lockdown on the recommendation of the health department in the areas where cases are being reported.

Health officials concerned over alarming increase in Covid cases

A notification issued by Peshawar Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Ali Asghar said that Street 6-12 in Sector F-8 of Phase-VI Hayatabad, Aslam Dheri Pajjagai Road, Kanda Raza Khan Road from Tehkal Bala Road to Arbab Danish Road, Malik Shafique Colony in Nauthia Qadeem, Gulshan Rehman Colony on Kohat Road, Mattani, Larama bound by Charsadda Road, Hazrat Jan Road, Larama Road and Hazarkhwani bound by Mohallah Sheikhan Road and Hazarkhwani Sheikhan Road would remain under smart lockdown from 6pm from Thursday.

There will be no exist and entry to these localities except, however, movement of the people engaged in supplies of essential commodities will be allowed. There will be no gatherings in these areas. All shops, excluding those dealing in essential commodities, will stay closed in the areas.

The violators of the smart lockdown will be booked under Sections 17 and 18 of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Epidemic Control and Emergency Relief Act 2020 and/or Section 33 of National Disaster Management Authority Act, 2010.

The notification will remain in place till further order.

A health department report said that five people died of coronavirus in Abbottabad, four in Peshawar, two in Bannu and one each in Chitral Upper and Haripur while Peshawar continued to record the highest number of cases. With 184 more patients, the tally reached 20,777 whereas the provincial capital accounted for 726 mortalities in the province, it added.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has overall 2.79 per cent case fatality rate (CFR) but in Peshawar it is 3.5 per cent. The other districts, which are recording most deaths and cases, include Swat, Abbottabad, Dir Lower and Malakand. The national CFR is 2.02 per cent.

Swat, which has 3.1 per cent CFR, accounted for 105 deaths and 3,447 cases; Abbottabad has recorded 4.1 per CFR, 121 deaths and 2,843 cases; Dir Lower has 2.1 per cent CFR, 44 deaths and 2,081 cases; and Malakand has 2.1 per cent CFR, 40 deaths and 1,951 cases.

Nowshera, which has 3.6 per cent CFR, is another area of concerns where 52 people have fallen to the virus with 1,474 cases. The district continues to register new cases in the second wave of the pandemic.

On Wednesday, the district administration of Nowshera imposed public health intervention at 28 places, including six government high schools, due to spike in Covid-19 cases and urged people to follow the standard operating procedures to contain spread of virus.

Officials in the health department told Dawn that Chief Secretary Dr Kazim Niaz strictly instructed the district administrations to impose public health intervention in the areas where cases were being recorded.

“We are extremely concerned because number of deaths, cases and hospitalisations is increasing in the second wave while the people don’t adhere to precautionary measures. Health department wants the administration to use force for enforcement of standard operating procedures because people aren’t ready to follow the same voluntarily,” they said.

Officials said that at present, 566 patients were admitted to hospitals, marking almost 100 per cent increase than fortnight ago.

The number of deaths and cases increased with an alarming rate and the only way to stem tide of the pandemic was to force people into adherence to SOPs, they said.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2020