Lahore imposes smart lockdown in 13 localities
The Lahore administration has decided to impose a smart lockdown in 13 localities till August 12, Thursday.
Primary Health Secretary Sarah Aslam has issued a notification saying that a smart lockdown will be placed in IMI Society, Johar Town, Green City, Shami Road, Muslim Town, Wahdat Colony, Gulshan-e-Ravi, and Model Town.
The following restrictions will be placed under the lockdown:
- All markets, shopping malls, restaurants, offices to remain closed
- Complete ban on movement
- Complete ban on gatherings of all kinds
The following places will remain open:
- Pharmacies/medical stores
- Medical facilities and vaccination centres
- Petrol pumps
- Oil depots
- Tandoors
- Bakeries
- Grocery
- Milk/dairy shops
- Sweet shops
- Vegetable/fruit shops
- Chicken/meat shops
- E-commerce/postal services
- Utility services
New Covid variant
Punjab Health Minister Yasmin Rashid said on Friday that cases of the Epsilon variant have been reported in the province. "We have started conducting sample tests and sequencing to find out more about it."
The new strain was first reported in California in 2020 and was declared a Variant of Concern by the US Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) after it observed a spike in its cases.
Studies reveal it is 20% more transmissible than other coronavirus variants. In June, about 1% of the total Covid-19 cases in the US were from the Epsilon variant, The Independent reported. The variant has been reported in at least 34 other countries after it was reported in the US.
Rashid said that more than 70% of cases in Punjab were of the Delta variant. To curb the rising number of cases, the government has begun a door-to-door vaccination campaign in major cities of the province.
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