Pakistan's Punjab To Block SIM Cards Of Unvaccinated Residents - Health Minister Yasmin Rashid

Punjab, Pakistan's most densely populated province says it will block SIM cards of people who refuse to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, national media reported on Friday, citing health officials

NEW DELHI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th June, 2021) Punjab, Pakistan's most densely populated province says it will block SIM cards of people who refuse to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, national media reported on Friday, citing health officials.

According to the Express Tribune newspaper, the provincial government proposed to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) that the SIM cards be blocked to ramp up the vaccination drive. The decision was voiced by Punjab's Health Minister Yasmin Rashid.

"Once approved from the NCOC, we would devise a timeline for the execution," Rashid said, adding that the government would also propose banning entry of unvaccinated individuals to parks, restaurants and malls in later stages.

"The government cannot allow individuals, who do not want to get vaccinated, to risk lives of those who are already vaccinated. People who have got vaccine shots have the right to return to their normal lives," the health minister noted.

According to Rashid, restrictive measures and the mass vaccination campaign significantly reduced the number of COVID-19 cases.

Pakistan has so far recorded 938,000 cases of infection, over 873,000 recoveries and more than 21,000 related deaths.