ISLAMABAD: A notification issued by the government on Sunday informed that the National Assembly secretariat would remain closed for 4 days from March 13-16 to disinfect the Parliament House building. 

The order further read that the heads of respective departments shall call the minimum essential staff from March 17 until further orders.

The notice further advised employees working from home to remain vigilant as they could be called in emergency cases for an hour. Furthermore, those who test positive for COVID-19 shall send their medical report to the Establishment division. 

The staff is required to follow essential SOPs such as avoiding shaking hands and maintaining social distance. The office timings have been changed to 10 am to 4 pm for the essential staff. 

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Faisal Sultan has previously informed that the country was facing a third wave of infections; on March 11, a total of 600,000 people has been diagnosed with the virus. 

The SAPM urged senior citizens to get vaccinated as the country is running a limited inoculation program for citizens over 60. The public distribution began on 10th March after an initial phase of shots of the Chinese-made Sinophram for health workers. 

Those eligible for the vaccine can send their CNIC number to 1166 or visit the government provided website to register for the vaccine. 

Country-wide situation

The most populous province of the country, Punjab, announced smart lockdowns for most of its major cities, including Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sargodha Rawalpindi. All outdoor and indoor games, including hockey, football, snooker, gymnasium, volleyball, and kabaddi, have been postponed. A similar situation arises in Peshawar, where the administration announced smart lockdown “till further orders”. 

Education Minister for Sindh Saeed Ghani has warned that another lock is a possibility if the cases continue to increase. 

The Federal Capital made it mandatory for citizens to wear mask at all time in public, to ensure SOPs.

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