KARACHI: The city administration on Saturday enforced smart and micro-smart lockdowns in several emerging hotspots across Karachi to deal with the rising cases of Covid-19 as part of the second wave of the novel coronavirus.

Official sources said that it had become fundamental to ensure quarantine, contact tracing and testing to reduce the transmission and spread of Covid-19, besides mandatory mask wearing and social distancing interventions.

Therefore, they said, the deputy commissioners in different districts of the city under Section 3 of the Sindh Epidemic Diseases Act, amended in 2020, ordered imposition of smart lockdowns and micro-smart lockdowns in the streets and houses of specified areas for at least two weeks.

In district Central, as many as 109 houses along with their streets in different parts were placed under micro-smart lockdown. The houses were located in Blocks 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19 in Federal B. Area; Blocks B, C, D, G, L and N of North Nazimabad; Firdous Colony in Nazimabad, Sectors 11-A, 11-B, 11-E and 5-C-1 of North Karachi.

According to the order, movement of people residing in areas under the smart lockdown shall be strictly restricted and only grocery shops, convenience stores, bakeries and pharmacies shall be allowed to remain open during specific timings as per directives issued by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).

17 more patients die overnight in Sindh due to Covid-19

Food delivery not allowed

All kinds of industrial units in these areas shall also remain closed and no home delivery/takeaway of any sort will be allowed from restaurants and fast-food joints.

In district East, over 70 houses and flats were placed under micro-smart lockdown.

The houses and flats were located in Delhi Mercantile Society-1, Civic Centre, Essa Nagri-4, Blocks 1, 2, 10-A, 13-C, 19, 13-D, 4-G, 13, 14, 15, and 10 in Gulshan-i-Iqbal; Blocks 10, 12, 3, 8 and 7-G in Gulistan-i-Jauhar; Gulzar-i-Hijri, Blocks 2 and Block 6 in PECHS, Jacob Lines and Baloch Para.

In district South, 5th Street, Khayaban-i-Momin, 6th Street, Khayaban-i-Badban, 12th Street, Bath Island and 35th Street off Khayaban-i-Ittehad in DHA were placed under micro-smart lockdown until active cases came down to zero.

No private or family get-togethers will be allowed in homes and no gatherings of three or more person will be allowed in the specified areas, the order of the deputy commissioner-South said.

A major shopping mall in Clifton was sealed on Saturday by deputy commissioner-South for violating SOPs notified by the provincial government. During his visit to the mall, the deputy commissioner also fined 15 people Rs500 each for not wearing masks.

In district Korangi, three houses in sub-division Korangi, and two houses each in Shah Faisal and Model Colony were placed under micro lockdown.

The lockdown in the specified areas will remain effective till Dec 5 or till the infected people are cured as per the guidelines issued by the provincial government.

In district West, Surjani Town police station and a flat in Gulshan-i-Maymar in Gadap Town were placed under micro-smart lockdown.

1,199 new cases

As many as 17 more patients of Covid-19 died overnight and 1,199 new cases emerged when 11,537 tests were conducted.

This was stated by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah in a statement issued here on Saturday.

He added that so far 1,883,799 tests were conducted against which 162,227 cases were detected, of them 90pc, or 145,525 patients, recovered, including 382 overnight.

According to the CM, currently 13,886 patients are under treatment, of them 13,333 are in home isolation, nine at isolation centres and 544 in different hospitals.

“The condition of 477 patients is stated to be critical, of them 62 have been shifted to ventilators,” he added.

Mr Shah said that out of 1,199 new cases, 859 were detected in Karachi, including 247 in South, 233 in East, 133 in West, 109 in Korangi, 105 in Central and 32 in Malir.

He added that Hyderabad had 189 cases, Jamshoro 36, Dadu 18, Tando Mohammad Khan 13, Qambar nine, Ghotki six, Shaheed Benazirabad and Sukkur five each, Sanghar three, Shikarpur and Thatta two each, Badin, Khairpur, Matiari, Naushahro Feroze and Umerkot one each.

Published in Dawn, November 22nd, 2020