Murtaza Wahab breaks silence on lockdown rumours as Covid positivity surpasses 15pc in Karachi

KARACHI – Following an alarming trend in the COVID positivity ratio in the country’s largest metropolis, Administrator Karachi Murtaza Wahab has clarified the rumours.

The PPP leader said that the provincial administration has not yet taken a decision regarding a lockdown in the city or in the province.

Wahab has debunked all rumours that claim otherwise days after National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) chief Asad Umar said the government has no intentions of imposing a coronavirus lockdown for now, despite the country recording an Omicron fuelled surge over the last two weeks.

Administrator Karachi however hinted at stern decisions in view of increasing cases. He said that the government is reviewing the situation, and SOPs should be implemented, if the citizens do not want stern decisions, then they need to cooperate. He added that the government would take decisions considering the ground reality.

Earlier, Asad Umar clarified that officials are closely monitoring the numbers from Pakistan and across the globe and are emphasising vaccinations. He highlighted that instead of lockdowns, the government is focusing on ramping up vaccinations and strict implementation of Covid induced SOPs.

Covid cases are going up in the Sindh capital in wake of a lack of vaccinations, as a majority of the COVID-19 cases in the metropolis are of the new variant.

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Last week, the Sindh government had said the prevalence of the Omicron variant had reached up to 50% in the province, especially in Karachi. The strain is said to be highly transmissible and was first reported in Karachi in December 2021.

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