Eight localities in Rawalpindi go into lockdown today.

Byline: Mohammad Asghar

RAWALPINDI -- Eight localities that have been deemed hotspots for the coronavirus will be placed under lockdown today (Tuesday).

These localities are Narankari Bazaar, Bara Market, Khayaban-i-Sir Syed, Gulzar-i-Quaid, Dhoke Ali Akbar, Kotha Kalan, Morgah and Takhtpari.

Markazi Anjuman Tajran Rawalpindi President Malik Shahid Ghafoor Paracha told Dawn on Monday that although the closure of their businesses has caused financial difficulties for traders, they have to cooperate with government instructions.

'I think we should take precautionary measures in markets, as a large number of Covid-19 patients have been detected in residential areas,' he said.

Mr Paracha's statement comes a day after the head of the Narankari Bazaar Traders Association criticised the district administration's decision to seal the area, arguing that there had been no Covid-19 cases reported in the market in the last three months and that shopkeepers were not given advance warning of the decision to lockdown the area.

Some traders in Narankari Bazaar and Bara Market have argued that markets all over the city should be closed instead of just the two main markets. However, Mr Paracha said that traders should cooperate with the government even though they are finding it difficult to pay rent and staff salaries or even meet their household expenses.

Also on Monday, 29 more people were diagnosed with Covid-19 in the garrison city, while 59 recoveries were reported. This brings the total number of reported cases in Rawalpindi district to 5,683, with 243 deaths and 3,014 recoveries. There were no deaths reported on Monday.

Another 78 patients have been admitted to various hospitals in Rawalpindi and their samples have been sent to the National Institute of Health, Holy Family Hospital and Benazir Bhutto Hospital laboratories for testing.

The district administration had sent a recommendation to the Punjab Home Department seeking to lockdown eight more localities from June 30 to July 10 after a surge in Covid-19 cases reported from these areas.

In addition, Rawalpindi Drug Control Potohar Town and Rawal Town carried out joint inspections of various pharmacies and registered cases against them for selling medicines used to treat Covid-19 without doctors prescriptions and sale and purchase records.

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