ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's top pandemic response body announced on Saturday only fully vaccinated people would be allowed to pray inside mosques in order to curb the rising number of coronavirus cases in the country. 

Pakistan is currently battling a fifth wave of coronavirus infections, with the fresh surge in cases driven by the highly transmissible omicron strain of the virus.  

On Friday, the country reported over 7,600 cases of coronavirus, its highest since the pandemic began in Pakistan. Today, over 6,500 people tested positive for the virus, while over 1,000 patients were shifted to critical care.   

“Only fully vaccinated individuals are allowed for prayer in masajid/worship places,” the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), which oversees the country's pandemic response, said.  

Among other measures it decided to take were mandatory mask-wearing, removal of carpets, maintaining six feet distancing, frequent hand sanitization, minimal attendance for prayers, performing ablution at home, opening of doors and windows for ventilation and preferably organizing prayers in the open, short sermon for Friday prayers, and for the elderly and co-morbid to preferably offer prayers at home. 

The rise in COVID-19 cases comes as authorities in the South Asian nation impose new restrictions to curb the fast-spreading omicron strain that is fueling the fifth wave of infections in the country.  

Earlier this week, the NCOC banned indoor gatherings and imposed restrictions on schools from January 24 in cities where the COVID-19 positivity rate was above 10 percent.  

But despite the surge, Prime Minister Imran Khan this week ruled out the possibility of a lockdown, saying Pakistan could not bring its economy to a standstill.