According to a notification issued by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) on Saturday, only vaccinated persons will be allowed to enter mosques and other places of worship, as the fifth wave of the pandemic spread by the Omicron version. , Country.
The Forum took a detailed review of the current status of the disease in the country and agreed to implement a series of protocols to contain the spread of the virus.
Apart from restricting the entry of vaccinated persons, entrants will also have to wear masks and maintain a social distance of six feet along with frequent hand sanitisation.
The NCOC directed that carpets at places of worship should be removed and attendance for prayers should be minimized. It further decided that Friday sermons should be brief, and that doors and windows should be open to ensure ventilation, although it would be better to pray in open spaces.
The forum advised the elderly and those with co-morbidities to “pray at home”, and also recommended that bathing be done at home.
The ban comes a day after Pakistan registered highest number The number of daily Covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic with 7,678 cases. The national positivity rate due to cases had increased to 12.93 per cent from 11 per cent on Friday.
Karachi had the highest positivity rate in the country at 45.43 per cent, followed by Muzaffarabad at 23.94 per cent. The positive rate was 18.91 percent in Islamabad, 17.89 percent in Lahore, 17.47 percent in Rawalpindi and 15.59 percent in Peshawar.
NCOC had announced that all schools in areas with high COVID-19 positivity ratio will remain closed for a week across the country.
Earlier this week, the forum banned Indoor gatherings, weddings and meals in districts and cities with more than 10 percent positivity rates as part of the new restrictions to tackle the fifth wave.
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