A micro-smart lockdown has been imposed in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Block 7 of Karachi after 12 cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus were reported from the area.
According to a notification, the micro-smart lockdown has been enforced in the streets and houses of the specified area by Deputy Commissioner of District East on the recommendation of the health officer concerned.
Additionally, all types of gatherings or events have been banned in the area amidst fear of COVID-19 spread.
As per the notification, strict compliance of COVID-19 SOPs, including wearing masks when entering or exiting the area and restricted movement of people residing in the area will be ensured.
However, grocery shops/convenience stores, bakeries and pharmacies shall be allowed to remain open in the area during specific timings as per the directives issued by the National Command and Operating Center (NCOC), the notification read.
The lockdown will remain effective till January 14.
Earlier, 11 members of a family in Karachi’s District East were found infected with the Omicron variant.
“Experts at the Provincial Public Health Laboratory (PPHL) have detected 11 cases of Omicron variant from the samples of a family from Lahore. These samples had been collected by the Sindh Health Department, which sent them to DUHS, where our experts confirmed the presence of Omicron variant through Next Generation Sequencing (NGS),” Prof Saeed Quraishy, Vice-Chancellor, DUHS, had said.
