MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir has decided ‘in principle’ to re-impose a region-wide lockdown following the increase in the coronavirus infections.
AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider, providing the basis for the lockdown, informed that the region’s coronavirus positivity rate had surged to 8.3 percent – higher than any area in Pakistan.
While chairing a high-level meeting, the valley’s Prime Minister said that it has been decided that religious and social gatherings will be curtailed. He has also urged the citizens to wear masks when they step out of their homes and at offices.
The AJK premier directed the concerned authorities to begin checking at entry points. He further said that the government-issued safety protocols should be implemented in public transport and educational institutions.
Shortly after the meeting, the AJK Prime Minister, in a tweet, informed that he has directed authorities to draft the lockdown policy within two days.
“How can we, with limited resources, overcome coronavirus, when the world’s major economies could not tackle it,” he said adding that before the situation gets out of hand, they have to take drastic measures.
The region last went into a wide lockdown on March 23, following which smart lockdowns were intermittently imposed. The region has registered 23, 22, and 40 coronavirus cases on October 1, 2, and 3.
The territory has recorded a total of 2,816 coronavirus infections, more than 70 deaths, and over 2,408 recoveries, according to official statistics.
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