ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's main pandemic response body on Sunday ordered all provinces to implement strict coronavirus guidelines ahead of the upcoming Eid Al-Adha holiday, as infections are rising again across the country.
After a decline in coronavirus cases in recent weeks, a fourth wave of the coronavirus is building up in Pakistan, as health officials say the highly contagious Delta COVID-19 variant is fast spreading across the country.
The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), which formulates and coordinates Pakistan's pandemic response, said on Sunday the daily positivity rate crossed 4 percent — for the first time since May 30 — as the country recorded 1,980 new cases.
"(NCOC) issued detailed instructions to all provinces for strict implementation of SOPs," the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.
"(NCOC) has also formed teams to ensure compliance of wearing facemasks and implementation of social distancing and safety protocols."
Eid Al-Adha, the second major religious festival of Islam, known as the "festival of sacrifice," will be observed in Pakistan on July 21.
Muslims in Pakistan usually crowd mosques and prayer grounds across the country to offer prayers and sacrifice goats and cows for the holiday. They also travel to tourist spots with families and friends during the vacation.
While earlier this month the NCOC banned open-air livestock markets in cities and required all vendors selling sacrificial animals at designated markets to be vaccinated, on Sunday it expanded the vaccination rule for visitors to Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Gilgit Baltistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — the country's favorite Eid tourism destinations.
"(NCOC) made vaccination certificate mandatory for tourists’ hotel bookings in AJK and Northern Areas," APP said. "Strict disciplinary action would be taken against the violators and the institution not complying with the SOPs."
As Pakistan has stepped up the pace of vaccination, it administers over 400,000 vaccines doses daily. So far, however, only slightly over 19.8 million people, or about 9 percent of the country's population, have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
