NCOC Announces 'Stay Home Stay Safe Strategy' For Mobility Control Amid Eid-ul-Fitr Holidays

The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) on Thursday announced 'Stay Home Stay Safe Strategy' for mobility control from May 8 to16 including Eid-ul-Fitr holidays

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Apr, 2021 ) :The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) on Thursday announced 'Stay Home Stay Safe Strategy' for mobility control from May 8 to16 including Eid-ul-Fitr holidays.

The current spike of COVID-19 in the country needed effective measures to contain its further spread with special emphasis on reducing mobility during forthcoming Eid-UI Fitr, said an NCOC tweet.

The comprehensive guidelines for "Stay Home Stay Safe - Eid-Ul-Fitr-2021 from 8-16 May 2021 were appended below, it added.

"These guidelines shall be read in conjunction with non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) already notified by NCOC on 23 April and 27 April 2021," the NCOC tweet mentioned.

The guidelines or standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued included announcement of Eid Holidays from 10-15 May 2021 clearly stating intention of reducing national mobility.

It also underscored issuance of comprehensive SOPs and guidelines for Youm e Ali, Itekaf, Shab e Qadar, Jumma-tul-Wida and Namaz-e-Eid by 1 May 202.

The general NPIs included that all markets, businesses and shops will remain closed except essential services that are Grocery Stores, Pharmacies and Medical Stores, Medical Facilities and Vaccination Centres, Vegetable, Fruits, Chicken and Meat Shops, Bakeries, petrol Pumps, food Takeaways and E-Commerce (Home Delivery), Utility Services (Electricity, Natural Gas, internet, Cellular Networks / Telecommunication Call Centres) and Media.

The Forum had clearly banned special chand raat bazaars. "Ban on chand raat azaars including mehndi, jewelry, ornaments and clothing stalls," the notification added.

However, there was also complete ban on tourism for both locals outsiders. All tourist resorts both formal and informal picnic spots, public parks, shopping malls: all hotels and restaurants in and around tourist and picnic spots will remain closed.

Travel nodes leading to tourist picnic spots will also remain closed with focus on Murree, Galyat, Swat-Kalam, Sea View, Beaches and Northem Areas and other tourist destinations.

Moreover, locals especially, people of Gilgit Baltistan (GB) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) will be allowed to travel back home.

The Forum had also imposed ban on transport which was among the super spreaders of the disease.

It added that there was ban on inter-provincial, inter-city and intra-city public transport except private vehicles that were taxis, cabs and rickshaws with 50 percent occupancy.

In order to cope with massive crowds of passengers additional trains will manage extra passenger load till 7 May, thereafter normal train operation will be resumed. However, 70 percent occupancy along with stringent COVID SOPs will be ensured.

The guidelines for Media included continuous messaging through print, electronic and social media on the theme 'Stay Home Stay Safe for Eid-Ul-Fitr-2021.'The media channels to air Special Eid Holiday Packages (Movies, dramas entertainment shows etc) to keep public at home whereas uninterrupted electricity supply would be ensured during Eid holidays, the guidelines added.