NCOC identifies 20 cities across Pakistan with potential Covid-19 hotspots.

The National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) on Monday identified 20 cities across Pakistan with potential Covid-19 hotspots using a strategy termed as 'testing, tracing and quarantining (TTQ)', according to press release issued by the centre.

The TTQ strategy involves ramping up Covid-19 testing followed by rapidly tracing the contacts of confirmed positive cases, and effective quarantining of positive and suspected cases.

The following 20 cities have been identified by the NCOC for the enforcement of "necessary restrictive measures".

Karachi

Lahore

Quetta

Peshawar

Rawalpindi

Islamabad

Faisalabad

Multan

Gujranawala

Swat

Hyderabad

Sukkur

Sialkot

Gujarat

Ghotki

Larkana

Khairpur

Dera Ghazi Khan

Malakand

Mardan

The NCOC's strategy of TTQ was formulated to keep the spread of the novel coronavirus in check as different sectors of the economy were allowed to reopen.

Punjab govt to impose lockdown in certain areas of Lahore

Punjab's Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid, meanwhile, on Monday announced that the provincial government will be imposing a two-week lockdown in certain areas of Lahore from midnight tomorrow.

These areas are located in:

Shahdara

Nishtar Ground

Allama Iqbal Town

Lahore Cantt

Walled City

Mozang

Shad Bagh

Harbanspura

Gulberg

Explaining the decision to impose a lockdown in the aforementioned areas of Lahore, Rashid said that the final decision was approved after more than 300 confirmed cases of Covid-19 had been recorded in each of these areas - indicating a sharp spike.

Rashid said pharmacies, tandoors and dairy shops will remain open in these areas and and so will any factories that are making personal protective equipment.

"These areas will be locked down for at least two weeks and then we will observe the results," she said.

She warned that the provincial government may take "strict actions" against those who continue to flout the standard operating procedures (SOPs).

Rashid rejected the idea that the PTI government had failed to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

"If our government has failed, so has every other government in the world," she said.

"The media is comparing us to New Zealand and Taiwan. The population of New Zealand is half of that of Lahore's. Controlling the virus there is much easier than controlling it in a densely populated country like ours," she added.

"People don't understand that this is a viral infection. Even in China, where they followed strict measures with commendable discipline, there...