A woman receives the first shot of the Sinovac vaccine at a health centre in Islamabad. File

Tariq Butt, Correspondent

Pakistan’s health officials fear the fourth wave of COVID-19 as the infections continue to rise in the country. They apprehend that the situation may worsen by Eid Al Adha.

Adviser to Prime Minister on Health, Dr Faisal Sultan, urged local tourists on Monday to get vaccinated before taking holiday trips across Pakistan.

"Only vaccinated masses will be permitted to visit tourist spots during Eid and summer holidays," Sultan said, who was also representing the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).

“This restriction will be strictly implemented during the upcoming Eid Al Adha holidays,” Faisal observed during a press conference in Islamabad.

“Jab is a vital strategy against coronavirus, apart from face mask and other standard operating procedures (SOPs),” the PM’s aide stated, urging the masses to get immunised against the corona virus disease.

The NCOC has amended standard operating procedures for some of the sectors, including tourism.

According to the NCOC, it has been decided that the SOPs would be strictly implemented to avoid chances of a complete lockdown across the country.

People who don't have vaccination certificate cannot visit tourist attractions in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir during Eid holidays.

The data of the NCOC showed that 1,808 new virus cases have been reported on Monday.

The country's death toll climbed to 22,597 after 15 more people succumbed to the deadly disease. Meanwhile, 670 patients recovered from the deadly disease in a day taking total recoveries to 913,873.

According to NCOC, total active COVID-19 cases across the country were reported to be 38,622.