The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has imposed smart lockdown in parts of Peshawar for two weeks, starting today.
KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan decided this during a meeting on Monday. The meeting also endorsed a strategy for smart lockdown, which will get approval from the provincial cabinet in the next meeting.
The decision was taken after 459 new coronavirus cases were reported in the past 24 hours, taking the tally provincial tally to 18,472.
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Smart lockdown implies that instead of closing down the entire city, only COVID-19 hotspots identified by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) will be shut down.
The meeting reviewed the virus situation in the province with a special focus on the implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to control the spread.
CM KP expressed concerns over violations of SOPs in some sectors and directed them to implement them strictly.
Mahmood Khan directed respective district administrations to use force if needed and shut down all such markets where the SOPs are not being followed. The meeting also decided to impose fines on people not wearing a face mask in public places.
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The meeting also addressed the issue of hospitals running out of capacity. It decided to carry out a need-assessment test of district headquarters hospitals (DHQs) and formulate strategies to enhance their capacities.
Committees will be constituted on a district level to monitor the treatment being given to coronavirus patients in government hospitals.
The meeting was informed that close to 3500 tests are being conducted on a daily basis, which will soon increase to 5000 per day.
They also took up the issue of expensive treatment at private hospitals and decided to regulate charges for the private sector. The Health Department has been directed to take necessary steps in this regard.
