ISLAMABAD: The government has singed an agreement to get the large rural network engage for providing support to the people in corona-hit areas identified for smart lockdown.

This was stated by Minister for Planning Development and Reforms Asad Umar heading the National Command and Control Centre (NCOC) while briefing regarding coronavirus on Sunday.

The minister further stated as rural support programmes (NRSP) are quite large and cater to 25 percent population in rural areas, the government has singed an agreement with NRSP to get it engaged for providing support to the people in smart lockdown areas identified through use of technology following concentration of coronavirus cases. The government will use this system as well to support the people in areas of smart lockdown, he added.

Umar said that decision of ease in lockdown has been taken to support those who have been paying heavy price in terms of income loss following unemployment due to corona specific lockdown.

He said that a system is being established to make sure that instant information is provided to the people infected by the coronavirus and take them to the nearest hospitals as well as number of ventilators available in those hospitals in case of spike in virus.

He said that a web portal has been completed and hospitals have started putting in data and this portal would be made available for live use in next few days for obtaining information available to family and ambulances with regard to nearest hospital for corona treatment.

The Minister said that NCOC operation was started on March 31 and since then it has been working non stop without any break and acknowledged the efforts of the people working in NCOC.

Umar said that on March 15, total numbers of coronavirus tests were only 473 across the country, and now these have been increased to 13,500 on last Saturday. This number, he added is increasing everyday as total number of labs, which were only four at start of March, have now been increased to 70 across the country. Numbers of kits and ventilators and PCR machines have been increased, he added.

Asad Umar also explained through a map about the areas in which coronavirus cases were high and concentration of case was more. He said that after identification of these areas through technology, health teams would visit to determine how much area required lockdown.

The minister said that there are 360 areas in Punjab where smart lockdown was done while in KP there are 177 cases where smart lockdown was enforced. He added that there are 165 persons on oxygen and in the last stage persons are shifted to ventilators and there were 85 persons of corona cases were on ventilators.—ZAHEER ABBASI