pakistan 
On Tuesday, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) announced the ease of COVID-19 restrictions in Karachi and two other cities with less than a 10% positivity rate.
According to a statement issued by the NCOC, the center has agreed to ease non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) in the said cities due to the declining trend of the disease.
On February 15, the NCOC had announced the extension of the enforced COVID-19 restriction in six cities, including Karachi, Mardan, Hyderabad, Gilgit, Muzaffarabad, and Peshawar, till February 21.
Read Also | NA not ready for a no-confidence move against PM
However, now that the positivity rate has declined, the NCOC has relaxed coronavirus-related restrictions in Peshawar, Karachi, and Hyderabad.
However, the curbs will continue in Mardan, Gilgit, and Muzaffarabad as these cities have been reporting a positivity rate of more than 10%.
The curbs include a limit on the participants of indoor gatherings/weddings – from 300 to 500 fully vaccinated individuals. There would be no limit for outdoor gatherings.
Similarly, outdoor and indoor dining is allowed for fully vaccinated.
Moreover, indoor Gyms, cinemas, sports, shrines, and amusement parks are allowed for fully vaccinated individuals only.
For cities reporting an extremely high positivity ratio, there would be a complete ban on indoor gatherings, while outdoor gatherings are allowed with a limit of 300 fully vaccinated individuals.
Similarly, only takeaway service and outdoor dining are allowed in the cities.
According to the NCOC, gyms, sports, cinemas, and amusement parks are allowed at 50% capacity for vaccinated individuals only. Shrines are allowed at 50% capacity for vaccinated individuals.
The NCOC said the following NPIs for all the cities would come into effect from February 22.
- Schools are allowed for students under 12 years of age with strict COVID protocols.
- There are no restrictions on business timings.
- The occupancy of public transport has been increased to 80% from 70%.
- Railways are allowed to operate with an occupancy level of 100% for fully vaccinated individuals. Wearing a mask is mandatory for all commuters.
