ISLAMABAD: In a bid to control the spread of Coronavirus pandemic cases, the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) on Friday directed public and private companies to implement a 50% “work from home” policy.
The NCOC also banned indoor weddings and allowed upto 1,000 guests in outdoor functions. The notification said major cities with a high positivity rate and higher disease spread potential will be asked to enforce the ban.
The rule pertains to Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Multan, Hyderabad, Gilgit, Muzzafarabad, Mirpur, Peshawar, Quetta, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur, and Abbottabad.
The decision will go into effect from November 20, 2020.
Furthermore, beginning tomorrow (November 7), the NCOC has directed the implementation of a “Gilgit-Baltistan model” whereby face masks must be made compulsory in the aforementioned cities.
In GB, failure to do so results in a penalty of Rs100 and three masks issued on the spot. Authorities have been advised to issue similar penalties in these locations.
In areas identified as hotspots, relatively broader smart lockdowns have also been recommended.
Last month, NCOC said that it has observed wedding halls and indoor restaurants to be “high contributors” to the spread of the contagious disease.
Following the observation, on October 9, the body issued new guidelines for wedding halls, saying that it is officially restricting the number of guests and limiting functions till 10pm.
For indoor events, a maximum of 300 guests has been allowed and for outdoor events, a maximum of 500 guests, with the gathering to only last 2 hours.
The NCOC has already warned business owners to shut down before or by 10pm, in view of the rising positivity ratio in major cities of Pakistan.
