KARACHI: The Sindh government will approach the National Command and Operations Center (NCOC) to impose a ban on transportation between provinces in the city.

The statement from the Sindh task force on the coronavirus called a meeting on Friday to discuss the coronavirus situation in the province and the country.

The meeting was informed that from 26 March to 1 April 2021 a positive ratio of 4.63% had been recorded in Karachi, whereas it was found 5% in Hyderabad and 1.5% in other areas of Sindh.

Representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO) told meeting attendees that the UK strain of coronavirus is growing at an alarming rate.

“The provincial task force decided to approach the federal government to impose a ban on transportation between provinces so that travel of people to and from Sindh can be stopped to contain the virus,” read a statement from the task force.

I don’t support locking: CM Sindh

The chief minister clarified that he does not support the lockdown but instead, wants to ban transportation between provinces so that people cannot move from one province to another.

“This is the only way to contain the virus from Britain,” he said, adding that “the activities at the ports and freight transport will operate as normal”.

The meeting decided to collect data on people who had come from England to Karachi over the past few months for the necessary tests and vaccinations. The interior department was tasked with collecting data from the airport.

The meeting also recommended the provincial government to close schools for the next 15 days. To that end, the Minister of Education directed the Minister of Education Saeed Ghani to discuss the issue with all stakeholders, including private school management before making a final decision.

“I leave it to the Minister of Education and Culture to decide which regions / regencies / cities should be closed,” he said.

The Task Force also urged the government to allow and facilitate private hospitals to procure the COVID-19 vaccine so that the pressure on public sector hospitals can be reduced.

Coronavirus: Intercity transport in Sindh operates at 50% capacity

Earlier today, the provincial government had banned intercity transportation across Sindh due to a spike in coronavirus cases.

Passenger vehicles operating from one city to another in Sindh will operate at only 50% of their capacity, said a notice from the Ministry of Transport and Mass Transit.

The decree, announced by the Sindh government, applies immediately and is binding on all passenger vehicles used for intercity transportation in the province.

“The coronavirus SOP issued by the Sindh government will be strictly adhered to,” said Transport Secretary Shariq Ahmad.

The provincial government further said all coronavirus SOPs would be strictly enforced and those who violated them would be punished.