Federal Minister for Planning and Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar Wednesday said the government was scrapping all the Covid-19 related restrictions countrywide.
“The pandemic has not ended; it’s undergoing the ending phase,” Asad said while addressing a press briefing at the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC). He was flanked by SAPM on Health Dr Faisal Sultan.
Asad said after reviewing the Covid-19 situation in detail, the NCOC had decided to lift all coronavirus restrictions, including protocols for indoor dining, indoor wedding events and markets, sports activities and all other SOPs across Pakistan.
However, he said the only restriction that would continue was vaccination against Covid-19, but that too till the vaccination ratio reached 80% or above. “Then we will consider if we still need to keep the restrictions for vaccination in place,” he said.
The NCOC data for Wednesday showed that 493 new coronavirus cases were reported on Wednesday, while the positivity ratio stood at 1.42%.
Earlier, the government had also decided to shut down the NCOC by the end of next month and the responsibilities of the forum will be carried out by the National Institute of Health. “The positivity ratio has been continuously decreasing in the country for the last seven to eight weeks,” the minister said, adding that the number of patients’ admission to hospitals had also declined.
He said the NCOC observed that the number of patients in critical care units had not only dipped but also fallen to the lowest level since October 2020, while a further decline was expected.
Further explaining the Covid-19 situation, Umar said 78% of the population, eligible for vaccination against the virus – individuals above the age of 12 – had received the first dose of anti-Covid-19 vaccine, while 70% had been fully vaccinated.
“Taking the situation into account, we have to come out of this pandemic and for that we need a period of transition to move towards normal life,” he said.
He said God knew whether the pandemic will completely end but currently it seemed like it will linger on and be a part of life across the globe. However, he clarified that removal of restrictions “doesn’t mean the pandemic is over” and the government would continue to monitor the situation.
He admitted that the NCOC understands that lifting of restrictions would affect the number of cases; however, the decision has been taken after a lot of deliberations.
Terming this decision a “biggest stage,” he congratulated the nation for facing the unprecedented challenges of Covid-19.
He said the number of critical patients had started reducing since October, 2020 and was recorded at the lowest level.
The minister said due to continuous efforts of the government, vaccination campaign across the country was in full swing, adding that overall 87 percent citizen above age of 12 year had been provided with the first doze of vaccine.
He further informed that 70 percent of local population were provided with full vaccine cover, adding that efforts were on to bring 100 percent population under vaccine cover to end the pandemic.
Asad said currently fully vaccinated people were allowed for air traveling, adding that this restriction would also be removed after achieving about 80 to 85 percent vaccination targets to avert the harmful impact of virus.
The minister further said the NCOC would continue monitoring the situation on daily basis and recommend remedial measures in case of any emerging situation for immediate and prompt action.
He also congratulated all the department concerned and their efforts to control the spread of virus in the country.
He also thanked the health workers, especially the lady health workers, for providing their services to overcome the pandemic.
