KARACHI: Concerned about the ominous and alarming rise in new COVID-19 cases in Karachi amid the fifth wave of the pandemic in the country, parents urged the Sindh government to take immediate measures and control the spread of the virus. To demand the closure of schools.
According to Sindh health department officials, Karachi saw an alarming rise in COVID-19 cases on Saturday, with the virus positivity ratio registering over 15%.
The head of the Dow Diagnostic Research and Reference Laboratory said 87 per cent of the COVID-19 cases in Karachi are of the Omicron variant
Reacting to the deteriorating COVID-19 situation in the metropolis, a parent, Syed Muhammad Aqeel Abidi, termed it “absolutely terrifying”.
Taking to Twitter, he said, “Children should be given a week’s leave, at least one week of lockdown is needed to stop this boom.”
Another said, ‘The positivity rate in Karachi is worrying. Schools need to be closed to keep children safe.”
Maimona Iftikhar described the situation as ‘dangerous’ and said, ‘The government should take steps to stop it immediately. But unfortunately, our government is waiting for the summit. This is sad.
Another user, Ali Omar Sheikh, urged the NCOC to shut down educational institutions for at least a couple of weeks.
Karachi administrator warned of strict action
In view of the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in Karachi, city administrator Murtaza Wahab on Monday warned of strict action.
He urged the people to vaccinate themselves against the virus and follow the SOPs to help the government in the war against the virus.
The Karachi administrator said the government was closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation, leaving no other option but to take stringent measures if people continue to disobey the SOPs.
However, the government will take a decision based on the ground reality, he said.