The government of Sindh has directed authorities to cut one day’s salaries of government employees who do not wear face masks during office hours.
The decision was made during the provincial coronavirus task force’s meeting chaired by Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, on Saturday.
During the meeting, CM Sindh directed the authorities to ensure strict implementation of COVID-19 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in public offices and said that the officers who do not adhere to these guidelines will face a fine.
The orders have been issued in the backdrop of a sharp spike in COVID-19 cases in Sindh, especially in Karachi.
The positivity ratio in Karachi touched a record 40% on Sunday, according to the figures issued by the CM’s House.
According to health officials, a total of 15,172 tests were conducted in Sindh, of which 2,677 tested positive for coronavirus in the past 24 hours.
The statement said that 229 patients were in critical condition while 18 patients were undergoing treatment on ventilators.
Overall, the country reported 4,340 new cases in the last 24 hours, taking the active cases to 35,884. Moreover, 7 new deaths pushed the death toll to 29,019, the NCOC’s data showed Monday morning.
Statistics 17 Jan 22:
Total Tests in Last 24 Hours: 49,809
Positive Cases: 4340
Positivity %: 8.71%
Deaths :7
Patients on Critical Care: 781— NFRCC (@NFRCCofficial) January 17, 2022
The fifth wave of COVID-19 is fueled by the Omicron variant, which according to health officials, accounts for 70 percent of the cases across the country.
