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ISLAMABAD: The Sindh health department on Monday proposed shutting down primary schools in the southern province, banning indoor dining and keeping businesses closed two days a week as the coronavirus positivity rate hit seven percent in Sindh and 14 percent in the provincial capital of Karachi, Pakistani media reported. 
The proposals were presented during a meeting headed by Sindh Chief Secretary Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah, his spokesperson Farhat Imtiaz was quoted by the Dawn newspaper as saying. The provincial task force on COVID-19 will now vote on the measures before they came into effect, Imtiaz added.
Last month, the Pakistan government lifted nearly all coronavirus restrictions around the country as infection figures showed a constantly decline. But numbers have once again picked up, promoting health authorities to mull new curbs. 
“During the meeting, Shah said that all marriage halls, cattle markets, shops and restaurants where coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs) were being violated would be sealed,” Dawn reported. “He also directed the Karachi commissioner to impose smart lockdowns in areas with a large number of cases.”
Around 3.5 million coronavirus vaccine doses have been administered in the province, the health secretary said, adding that vaccines were being administered at 647 centers and through 347 mobile teams.
“All commissioners and deputy commissioners should reach their vaccination targets,” the chief secretary said, ordering that the number of mobile vaccination teams be increased.
The proposals came hours after Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health, Dr. Faisal Sultan, said the government would use whatever administrative measures were required, including calling in the Pakistan Army, to ensure compliance with non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. 
He added that smart lockdowns would also be used again “controls and restrictions [were] needed on mobility as well.”