Wedding ceremonies, gatherings banned in Islamabad amid surge in Covid-19 cases

ISLAMABAD-The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration has decided to ban indoor and outdoor wedding ceremonies in the city from April 1.

The decision has been taken in the wake of the current spike in the Covid-19 cases in the city as has been the case with other parts of the country. A notification issued by the District Magistrate on Sunday said that all kinds of indoor and outdoor events, gatherings, indoor and outdoor festivals, sports tournaments, culture activities, social activities, religious gatherings etc. have also been banned.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Islamabad, Muhammad Hamza Shafqaat has said that new Covid-19 hotspots have been identified in the city. These areas include DHA-2, G-6/2, Soan Garden, PWD Colony, Barakahu, G-10/2, Bani Gala, G-10/3, G-9/2, G-11/2, I-8/3 and G-11/1, he said on Twitter. He said Barakahu is equal to two-three sectors of Islamabad of which some areas are the most infected. The ICT administration has decided to enforce full lockdown in these areas by Sunday night.

Furthermore, the administration has also decided to ban Shab-e-Barat gatherings in two Islamabad graveyards amid Covid-19 surge. A separate notification issued by the administration said that gatherings on the occasion of Shab-e-Barat in the H-8 and H-11 graveyards has been banned. Any burials on the occasion would only be allowed as per the Covid-19 SOPs.

The administration also decided to de-seal 5 sub-sectors of the capital city. These residential areas include G-6/2, G-10/4, F-11/1, I-8/4, and I-10/2. However, the de-sealed areas will be regulated by the prevailing orders regarding Covid-19 SOPs.  

Addressing a press conference along with SSP (Operations) Islamabad, Syed Mustafa Tanveer, Deputy Commissioner Islamabad said that Covid-19 positivity ratio in Islamabad has reached 12 per cent. 

He said at the moment, there were over 6,000 active Covid-19 cases in the capital city. He said the administration was striving to bring positivity ratio down to near to 6 per cent through such restrictions before the month of Ramadan. He said all school activity including local exams have also been banned in the city. Speaking on the occasion, SSP (Operations) said that the police would give all out help to the administration in imposing the restrictions.

Article source: https://nation.com.pk/29-Mar-2021/wedding-ceremonies-gatherings-banned-in-islamabad-amid-surge-in-covid-19-cases