The Sindh government has officially decided to write a letter to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) to block phone SIMs of unvaccinated people amid a rise in Covid-19 cases in the province.

Adviser to Chief Minister Sindh on Law, Murtaza Wahab, took to Twitter to announce the decision.

“#SindhGovt has decided to write to NCOC & PTA that mobile sims of unvaccinated people should be blocked,” he wrote in a tweet.

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According to details, Chief Minister Sindh has also said that the PTA would be contacted through the federal government to encourage the users via text messages to get vaccinated and those not getting a shot in a week will have their SIMs blocked.

As cases are increasing in the province, the Sindh government has decided to tighten the restrictions. The Covid-19 task force held a meeting on Friday and made the following decisions:

  • Shopping malls and markets can operate from 6am to 6pm except for pharmacies and bakeries.
  • The government has imposed a ban on indoor and outdoor dining at restaurants. Only takeaways are allowed.
  • Public and private offices have been asked to call in 50 per cent of their workforce.
  • Shrines to be closed once again.
  • Ban to be imposed on weddings and other events.
  • Schools will remain closed, while exams will continue as per schedule.

The new restrictions will be imposed from Monday, July 26. The positivity rate in Sindh is 10.3 per cent, the task force participants were informed. Karachi’s situation is getting worse day by day. At least 1,002 patients are in critical care.

As per reports, the province reported six cases of the Delta variant on Monday, the province’s health secretary, Qasim Soomro, confirmed.

The guidelines to avoid exposure to the new variant are the same:

  • Sanitise hands more often
  • Wear a mask
  • Avoid public gatherings
  • Get vaccinated as soon as possible
  • Avoid meeting people with symptoms
  • Avoid unnecessary travel

Total tests conducted in the last 24 hours were 25,215 out of which 1,425 cases tested positive. The positivity rate was 5.65 per cent as per NCOC.