KARACHI: Authorities in Pakistan’s commercial capital, Karachi, enforced strict lockdowns in different neighborhoods that were designated by them as COVID-19 hotspots to reduce the spread of virus and decrease the alarming rate of infection in the city, a senior official confirmed while talking to Arab News on Thursday
“We enforced smart lockdowns in all the notified areas from 7 pm today,” Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Shalwani informed. “The restrictions have been placed for two weeks and will hopefully slow down the virus spread.”
Explaining the administrative approach further, he said: “These areas were selected on the basis of numerical data. We identified them due to the high number of coronavirus cases and may add more residential neighborhoods to our list if infections increase in other parts of the city.”
The commissioner maintained that if COVID-19 carriers were currently spreading the virus to ten people, smart lockdowns would reduce it to four -- thereby significantly bringing down the rate of infection.
According to an official notification about the imposition of smart lockdowns in the city, the movement of people residing in the coronavirus hotspots will be strictly restricted, and anyone entering or exiting these areas will be required to wear a mask without exception.
The notification also maintains that all industrial units in locked down areas will remain close.
The authorities have only allowed grocery stores and pharmacies to operate in these neighborhoods, and only one person from each household will be able to visit the shops.
Apart from that, residents of these areas will not be allowed to order food from restaurants since home delivery will not be an option for them during the lockdown period.
Pakistan reported more than 160,000 coronavirus cases on Thursday morning. According to an official handout circulated by the provincial administration of Sindh in the evening, the country’s most densely populated city of Karachi reported 1,719 new COVID-19 cases during the day with 44 related deaths.
'Smart lockdown' imposed in Karachi's COVID-19 hotspots to curb virus spread
https://arab.news/ghpmk
'Smart lockdown' imposed in Karachi's COVID-19 hotspots to curb virus spread
- The coronavirus hotspots in the city were identified on the basis of numerical data, says the commissioner
- Karachi reported 1,719 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday evening with 44 related deaths
Pakistan, Oman navies discuss maritime security, ink agreement to share shipping data
- Visiting Oman royal navy commander calls on Pakistan Naval Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf in Islamabad
- White shipping agreement refers to exchange of prior information on movement of commercial ships
ISLAMABAD: The naval commanders of Pakistan and Oman discussed regional maritime security on Wednesday and signed an agreement to share shipping information with each other, the Pakistan Navy said in a statement.
The press release followed a meeting between Pakistan Naval Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf and the visiting Oman Royal Navy Commander Rear Admiral Saif Bin Nasser Bin Mohsin Al Rahbi at Naval Headquarters in Islamabad.
Both navies maintain close professional relations, reflected in expert-level staff talks, joint training, bilateral exercises, and participation in multilateral exercises between the Pakistan Navy and the Royal Navy of Oman.
“During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, regional maritime security and bilateral naval cooperation were discussed,” the Pakistan Navy said.
The MoU was signed by both sides at a ceremony at the Naval Headquarters, the navy’s media wing confirmed.
“The MoU is aimed at establishing of guidelines and procedures for information sharing in order to enhance mutual awareness of white shipping,” the Pakistan Navy said in a statement.
White shipping agreement refers to the exchange of prior information on the movement and identity of commercial non-military merchant vessels.
Information regarding the identity of vessels helps countries tackle potential threats from sea routes. This particularly helps in the development of a proper regional maritime domain awareness
The statement said Al Rahbi lauded Pakistan Navy’s professionalism and acknowledged its ongoing contributions to maritime security and regional stability.
Pakistan and Oman share geographical proximity and common maritime boundaries. Bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries span a wide range of areas, including economic cooperation, people-to-people contacts and strong defense ties.
In December, a Royal Navy flotilla from Oman visited Karachi to take part in the annual bilateral Thamar Al Tayyib (TAT) 2025 exercise.
Pakistan Navy and the Royal Navy of Oman have been conducting the TAT series of exercises regularly since 1980.
