Chief says vaccination mandate to remain in place; urges unvaccinated to get anti-Covid jabs
ISLAMABAD:
The National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) announced lifting all Covid-19 restrictions imposed across Pakistan on Wednesday.
NCOC chief Asad Umar, also the Federal Minister for Planning and Development, made the announcement during a news briefing.
“The vaccination mandate will remain in place, because the coronavirus is not over yet,” he said, adding that lifting the ban may increase the number of cases but the government could take required action again.
The minister stated that the populace had largely complied with NCOC guidelines, therefore, all restrictions imposed on wedding ceremonies, markets, bazaars, outdoor events, sports activities, religious gatherings will be lifted.
The NCOC chief elaborated that the disease spread and daily Covid-19 cases have witnessed a steady decrease hence, it was suitable to move towards normalcy.
During the briefing, Umar mentioned that there was a decrease in cases and that the number of patients in critical care was the lowest since October 2020.
“87% of the eligible population has received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine while 70% has been completely vaccinated,” he said, adding that vaccinations were behind the reduction in the spread of the virus.
He maintained that the country needed to transition towards normal life because the pandemic will seemingly continue and become a part of daily life.
In a tweet, the NCOC chairperson urged unvaccinated people to receive both jabs against the virus so that they could “avoid all restrictions”.
The NCOC, in its daily tally, stated that Pakistan had observed 493 fresh cases of Covid in the past 24 hours, bringing the positivity ratio to 1.42%.
It further maintained that four people had passed away due to the virus and that 567 people were currently under critical care.