No one will be allowed to enter mosques without masks: NCOC
ISLAMABAD - Federal Minister for National Health Services Abdul Qadir Patel Tuesday expressed the commitment to ensure compliance of health guidelines to avoid the spread of COVID-19.
Talking to the media persons, he said it is the matter of life of the people and every possible step will be taken for their protection from this disease. He said National Command and Operation Center and NIH are fulfilling their responsibilities in this regard. Earlier, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) issued fresh guidelines for Eid ul Azha, urging people to follow the issued SOPs as coronavirus cases climb across the country.
COVID cases witnessed a spike in the mid of June, with officials fearing that the infections would spread further due to shopping and the celebrations leading up to Eid ul Azha.
Eid will be observed on July 10 and on this festival, animals are sacrificed, which increases human contact, thereby increasing the chance of the event being a super spreader.
The National Institute of Health (NIH) data Tuesday showed that the COVID-19 positive ratio in the country had declined to 3.45%. A day earlier, a 4.61% COVID-19 positive ratio was recorded in the country with 675 cases. In the last 24 hours, a total of 18,950 diagnostic tests were conducted, out of which 653 samples came back positive, the data showed. On a positive note, the country reported no deaths in the last 24 hours from COVID-19.
The NCOC further instructed mosques to ensure social distancing of at least six feet between worshippers to avoid physical contact. People should also refrain from shaking hands or hugging each other to avoid the chances of disease transmission, it added. Meanwhile, no one will be allowed to enter mosques without masks. There will separate entry and exit points at the venue to avoid "jumbling up of individuals" and hand sanitiser dispensers will be installed.
Separately, people have been encouraged perform ablution at home and bring their own prayer mats to the mosques