As Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan said that it’s too early to encompass how dangerous Omicron variant of Covid-19 is, the Sindh government on Tuesday issued new guidelines to curb the transmission of Covid-19 in light of the threat posed by the new Omicron variant.
The Sindh Home Department issued the new guidelines that will be applicable across the province from Dec 1 (today) to Dec 15. The notification stated that Karachi Division, Sukkur and Sanghar have been categorised as having “good vaccination progress” while the remaining cities/divisions fall under the “low vaccination progress” category.
Indoor and outdoor gatherings are allowed for vaccinated individuals. In Karachi, Sukkur and Sanghar, there is a maximum limit of 500 people for indoor events and 1,000 for outdoor. For other cities, the limit is 300 people for indoor gatherings and 1,000 for outdoor. Indoor dining, including food courts in shopping malls, is allowed for fully vaccinated individuals till 11:59pm. The occupancy in Karachi, Sukkur and Sanghar has been capped at 70pc and 50pc for the rest of the province. Outdoor dining is allowed for fully vaccinated citizens till 11:59pm. Takeaway/drive thru and home delivery is allowed 24/7, subject to following of SOPs and staff and delivery personnel duly vaccinated. The timings for businesses and markets has been capped at 10pm, while essential services will continue 24/7.
It will take months to develop a new shot of Covid-19 vaccine that works against the Omicron variant as the existing vaccines may be less effective against the new strain, the head of US vaccine manufacturer Moderna told Financial Times.
