Photo used for illustrative purpose.

The National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) announced lifting all COVID-19 restrictions imposed as Pakistan “has come close to eliminating the pandemic.” NCOC chief Asad Umar, also the Federal Minister for Planning and Development, made the announcement during a news briefing on Wednesday.

"The vaccination mandate will remain in place, because the coronavirus is not over yet,” he said, adding that lifting the ban may increase the number of cases but the government could take required action again."

"The minister stated that the populace had largely complied with NCOC guidelines, therefore, all restrictions imposed on wedding ceremonies, markets, bazaars, outdoor events, sports activities, religious gatherings will be lifted."

The NCOC chief elaborated that the disease spread and daily COVID-19 cases have witnessed a steady decrease hence, it was suitable to move towards normalcy.

Umar mentioned that there was a decrease in cases and that the number of patients in critical care was the lowest since October 2020.

"87% of the eligible population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine while 70% has been completely vaccinated,” he said, adding that vaccinations were behind the reduction in the spread of the virus.

He said that the country needed to transition towards normal life because the pandemic will seemingly continue and become a part of daily life.
In a tweet, the NCOC chairperson urged unvaccinated people to receive both jabs against the virus so that they could "avoid all restrictions.”

Asad Umar chairs a NCOC meeting in Islamabad.

The NCOC, in its daily tally, stated that Pakistan had observed 493 fresh cases of Covid in the past 24 hours, bringing the positivity ratio to 1.42%.
It further maintained that four people had passed away due to the virus and that 567 people were currently under critical care.

Earlier, the government had also decided to shut down the NCOC by the end of next month and the responsibilities of the NCOC will be carried out by the National Institute of Health.

Umar said that during the NCOC meeting, the situation of the pandemic was reviewed in detail and it was observed that since the last eight weeks the positivity ratio has been declining and the number of patients in critical care units is also declining.

“The number of patients in critical care dropped to the lowest level since October 2020,” he said, adding that the number is expected to decrease further in the coming days.