ISLAMABAD - Chief of National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) Asad Umar announced on Tuesday that the Covid restrictions in 18 of 24 districts have been relaxed.

He announced the lifting of additional Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs) in 18 out of 24 districts where the restrictions were enforced earlier this month in the wake of high coronavirus prevalence.

Addressing a press conference here, Umar, who is also the Federal Minister for Development, Planning and Special Initiatives, said the decision had been taken after a decline was observed in Coronavirus cases in the said districts. Residents in these districts would now have to comply with the Covid-19 restrictions as in the rest of the country and no additional curbs, he said. Initially, the restrictions were to remain in place till September 12, but were later extended till September 15. However, Umar said on Tuesday, the additional restrictions were being lifted in 18 districts earlier than planned after a decline was observed in coronavirus cases there.

The NCOC had enforced additional curbs in districts of Punjab, Khyber-Pakthunkhwa and Islamabad on September 4. The restrictions included a ban on indoor gatherings, closure of indoor gyms, ban on intercity transport and closure of educational institutions.

According to the new Covid-19 curbs announced by the NCOC, intercity transport has been allowed with 50 percent occupancy and the schools also to reopen with 50 percent attendance. Outdoor dining has been allowed until midnight while gyms and amusement parks would open for fully vaccinated citizens. Restriction has been lifted on outdoor gatherings of up to 400 guests.

“These six districts where strict restrictions will remain intact are Lahore, Faislabad, Multan, Gujrat, Sargodha and Bannu,” said Umar. He said that even in these districts, the government has decided to lift some restrictions. “Inter-city transport was earlier banned altogether from these districts. Now, buses can resume inter-city transport by accommodating 50 percent capacity of passengers, he added. Similarly, he said schools in these six districts will resume on-campus classes from September 16, with 50 percent attendance in classes.

He further said that outdoor dining in these districts was allowed to remain open till 10pm.

“We have extended the time for outdoor dining till midnight. Indoor dining at restaurants, however, will remain banned,” he clarified.

He said amusement parks, recreational spots and parks will remain open. Only vaccinated persons will be allowed to visit amusement parks, he clarified.

The NCOC chief announced that the government was allowing outdoor activities but with a limit of 400 persons only. However, indoor gatherings will continue to remain banned, he said.

The minister announced that Covid-19 restrictions imposed in districts other than these six will continue to remain in force till September 30.

Umar said the only way to get rid of these restrictions is to get vaccinated. However, he ruled out the government imposing any restrictions on businesses in near future. “We won’t be placing restrictions on businesses. However, restrictions will be imposed on the individual who does not get himself vaccinated,” he added.

The NCOC also clarified that schools will not be closed again.

The minister further said that more restrictions would be imposed on unvaccinated people. He said the government would impose more restrictions in times to come on individuals who would not get vaccinated. “If they will not get vaccinated till September 30, they will be restricted from entering schools, will not be allowed to travel by air, will not be allowed entry to shopping malls, cannot get bookings at hotels and guest houses and will be barred from attending indoor and outdoor gatherings,” Umar warned.

He said as there had been a decline in coronavirus cases, vaccination needed to be paced up. He recalled that the authorities had set a target of vaccinating 40 percent of the eligible population in 24 big cities of the country by the end of this month, adding that the target may be difficult but not impossible.

Pakistan on Tuesday morning reported 2,580 new Covid cases and 78 more deaths. The new cases of coronavirus during the past 24 hours took taking the tally for confirmed cases to 1,210,082. At least 78 fatalities were also reported during the period. A total of 26,865 patients have succumbed to the virus in the country so far. Moreover, 7,240 recoveries were also reported in a day, taking the total recoveries to 1,097,416.