ISLAMABAD - The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Saturday issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for mitigation of spread of person-to-person transmission of COVID-19 during occasion of Christmas.

According to NCOC, these SOPs were necessary as Christmas events could amplify the transmission of the virus and potentially disrupt the country’s response capacity as COVID-19 is transmitted from person to person through respiratory droplets and contact with contaminated surfaces, and the risk of transmission appears to be proportional to the closeness.

As per these SOPs, NCOC said with the COVID-19 pandemic in a full rage, the safest thing that could be done during this Christmas holiday was to stay home. There should be limited in-person contacts during holiday preparations and celebrations, it added. 

It added in such events, prevention of importation of the virus from on household to other and other places like shopping malls, churches are an essential element in avoiding or minimising the occurrence of infection and of serious outbreaks in these settings and beyond. 

Precautions were required by public especially Christian community to protect themselves and prevent transmission, it added. 

87 daily deaths, 3,179 positive cases

Through these SOPs, general public have been asked to only undertake minimal necessary travel during Christmas holidays as Pakistan has already been struck by second wave while social visits during Christmas and general family get-togethers should be avoided. 

Christmas shopping should only be restricted to minimal essentials and crowding in markets was not advisable. The traditional gift exchange was likely to increase transmission, so it should be avoided for this Christmas, it said.

Under these SOPs people have been asked that large scale home gatherings should be avoided amid Covid-19 second wave and encourage for outdoor Christmas celebration preferably day time event, strictly observing SOPs with assigned seating arrangements of 1-meter distance.

Every person should wear mask and for indoor gatherings, opening windows and doors could ensure proper ventilation and help lower the risk while indoor gatherings should be avoided as poor ventilation pose the greatest risk. 

 

The NCOC said longer gatherings would pose a greater risk than shorter gatherings so events must be kept shorter and guest list should be kept smaller ensuring there was enough room to enable guests from different households to stay at least one meter apart. 

 

People have been asked to disinfect the venue place after the celebrations in community and display posters promoting hand-washing and maintaining good respiratory hygiene in community where celebration is done.

 

The NCOC asked to ensure screening of all visitors by measuring body temperature at entry points of event in general public by dedicated persons besides availability of masks to offer anyone who develops respiratory symptoms.

 

Christmas trees must be regularly disinfected decorated in public places and avoid touching Christmas trees as it might serve as transmission object and there should be feet icon or floor sign at least one-meter distance.

 

As per SOPs, visitors should practice alternate greetings such as waving or bowing. It was advised to display dispensers of alcohol-based hand sanitizers prominently around the venue Christmas Prayers in Church besides thermal screening for all worshippers entering the church at the entry gates.

 

It asked to ensure provision of hand sanitizer at gate of church while preachers or father should also deliver the sermons on the topic of the virus and preventative measures that government has taken in order to slow the spread to give individuals an active role in promoting the health and safety of the members of society.

 

Windows and doors of the church should be kept opened for good ventilation on Christmas day while no carpets or mats should be laid down in church as the virus is airborne. Sitting benches for prayers must be ensured by washing them with chlorinated water regularly and each person should sit at least one meter apart from other person during prayers.

 

NCOC said people must avoid handshake and exchange of flowers and worshipers must maintain social distancing by keeping one-meter distance between each other, and every other sitting row should be left empty. It was advised to avoid crowding when entering or exiting the church and discourage the sick and elderly and children under 15-year from church prayers besides discouraging the socialising within the church after event.

 

 

Single-day deaths, infections

 

As many as 87 more people died of Coronavirus in the country during the last 24 hours.

According to the latest statistics, 3179 people tested Covid-19 positive after tests of 48,075 people were conducted during this period. The figure of active Covid-19 cases in the country stood 40,922 as of Saturday morning while Pakistan’s total recoveries from the Coronavirus have risen to 404,501 after the Covid-19 portal showed that 4,649 more people recovered. It also showed that 2,486 virus patients are in critical condition.

According to officials, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir collectively reported 253 Covid-19 cases and six fatalities during the past 24 hours. Islamabad reported 205 cases and 3 deaths, GB 4 cases and AJK reported 44 cases and 3 deaths. Punjab recorded 584 Coronavirus infections and 36 more fatalities in the last 24 hours. The province’s tally of cases has risen to 130,706 and its death toll has reached 3,558. 

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa reported 427 new Coronavirus cases and 10 more fatalities in the last 24 hours, according to the government’s Covid-19 portal. The province’s caseload has risen to 54,448 while the number of deaths stands at 1,521.

Balochistan has reported 12 infections and two more deaths, taking the provincial tally of cases to 17,880 and the death toll to 179.

Meanwhile, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) recorded national positivity ratio for Covid-19 infections as 6.61 percent. Highest positivity ratio was observed in Karachi 11.80 percent, followed by Peshawar 9.23 percent and Mirpur 7.92 percent. 

AJK has positivity ratio as 7.47 percent, Balochistan 3.56 percent, GB 1.07 percent, Islamabad 3.57 percent, KP 8.19 percent, Punjab 3.86 percent and Sindh 9.20 percent. Current fatality rate in the country is 2.03 percent against 2.21 percent globally, according to the NCOC. 

Of the deceased, 70 percent were male and 77.5 percent over the age of 50 years. Of the 87 people died due to the Covid-19 during the last 24 hours, 74 died in hospital and 13 died out of hospital.

 

Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Initiatives Asad Umar tested positive for Coronavirus on Friday. He took to Twitter to announce that he had tested positive for the virus and is isolating at home. “Just got my covid test result and it is positive. Will be isolating at home,” he wrote on his official Twitter handle. Pakistan passed the grim milestone of more than 9,000 deaths on December 17, with thousands across the country under smart lockdowns.