Pak to impose fine for not wearing masks

Islamabad, Nov 7 (IANS) Amid a recent resurgence of new Covid-19 cases across Pakistan, the country has decided to impose fines for not wearing face masks in public spaces, the media reported on Saturday.The measure is part of the latest guidelines issued by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Friday, which also includes a ban on indoor marriages and allowing "work from home" for 50 per cent the staff in public and private institutions, reports Dawn news.While the wearing of mask and ‘work from home' policies have been made mandatory throughout the country from Saturday onwards, the ban on indoor marriages will be enforced from November 20.A senior NCOC official told Dawn news that since 16 major cities of the country were highly sensitive due to the high Covid-19 positivity, the "non-pharmaceutical interventions" (NPIs) or new guidelines would remain in force till January 2021.The cities are Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Multan, Hyderabad, Gilgit, Muzzafarabad, Mirpur, Peshawar, Quetta, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur and Abbottabad.Pakistan has so far reported a total of 341,753 coronavirus cases and 6,943 deaths, while the number of recovered persons stood at 317,898.
--IANS ksk/