Karachi: The government of Sindh announced on April 7 that the lockdown imposed in the province will be tightened from April 8.
The decision was taken to restrict religious congregations in the province that will take place the same day.
April 8 marks Shab-e-baraat in the Islamic calendar, resulting in celebrations and religious congregations across the country.
In a video message released on the morning of Shab-e-barat, the Chief Minister of Sindh Murad Ali Shah asked for people’s cooperation and requested them to stay at home as the cases of COVID-19 in the province had gone up to over a 1,000.
In the message directed to the public, Shah said that the province had conducted 10,223 tests out of which over 1,000 cases have been tested positive so far. “Two more people have unfortunately died from the virus, adding up to a total of 20 deaths in the province,” Shah added.
He said that the government is trying to increase the number of tests conducted in the province. However, in the meantime he wants the public to help the government by staying at home and maintaining social distancing.
Citizens of the province have lauded the government’s effort to limit the spread of the virus and their proactive efforts in ensuring recovery.
Family Testing Positive for Coronavirus
In another video message released on the eve of Shab-e-raat, April 9, CM Sindh addressed the public and mentioned a unique case of a family of seven being tested positive for COVID-19.
The news is a cause of concern for many as some citizens and traders fail to abide by the government’s orders and are not staying home. According to a member of Halaat Updates, shops other than grocery stories are open in Karachi’s Dohraji area as can be seen in the video posted below.
It has also lead to people supporting the lockdown:
“No one died from hunger during covid-19 lockdown. I am not defending anyone but precaution is better than death,” commented Sif Khan on the post in Halaat Updates.
While some citizens are lauding Sindh government’s decision to tighten the lockdown, others worry that the partial lockdown has been ineffective to keep people at home.
