Govt bans indoor gatherings in Karachi, Hyderabad

KARACHI: The Government of Sindh had announced new SOPs to control the increasing cases of COVID-19.

According to a notification issued by the Home Department, Sindh, Karachi, and Hyderabad had an over 10 per cent positivity rate. Therefore, separate SOPs had been announced for these cities, as per the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) guidelines. 

There will be a complete ban on indoor gatherings while outdoor gatherings are permitted with only 300 guests. Only fully vaccinated people are allowed to attend weddings in Karachi and Hyderabad. 

In other cities of Sindh, indoor gatherings/weddings with 300 guests and outdoor with 500. 

These measures would come into force from January 24. Wedding hall managers had been asked to ensure SOP compliance. 

The classes for students under 12 years would continue with 50 per cent attendance, while classes for students over 12 years would continue as before. However, vaccination had been declared mandatory for students over 12 years in Karachi and Hyderabad.

In other cities of Sindh, classes would continue as before with mandatory vaccination for students over 12 years.

The Government of Sindh had also decided to speed up the vaccination of students over 12 years. They must receive at least one vaccination dose by February 1. No exceptions would be granted other than for valid medical reasons.

The education and health departments had been asked to conduct aggressive testing in schools and close the ones with a high percentage of cases. The authorities would decide a threshold for the number of cases after which the institution would be sealed. 

A complete ban on karate, boxing, martial arts, rugby, water polo, kabaddi and wrestling had been imposed in Karachi and Hyderabad.