Islamabad: After 24 hours given to the residents of I-8 and I-10 localities and Markaz passed, law enforcement forces including police and paramilitary, on Wednesday midnight sealed all the entry and exit points of four sub-sectors of I-8 and I-10 and announced that the smart lockdown will be in place for a minimum of two weeks.
Markaz I-8 and I-10 will remain closed from tomorrow onwards after they saw a record increase in cases. Capital administration issued the notification in which I-8/3, I-8/4, I-10/1, and I-10/2 were ordered to be sealed at midnight. Mohammad Hamza Shafqaat the Deputy Commissioner gave residents a day in order to store essential supplies that will be used during the lockdown.
According to Deputy Commissioner, the notification to seal the area was issued after the security plan was created with other plans to deliver medical aid for suspected and confirmed coronavirus patients.
He further said that residents of these areas were informed of the forthcoming lockdown via announcements on Wednesday so that necessary arrangements may be made. The notification states, “The office of the deputy commissioner stated that I-8/3, I-8/4, I-8 Markaz, I-10/1, I-10/2, and I-10 Markaz are being sealed to prevent the community spread of the coronavirus under the Epidemic Diseases Control Act with effect from midnight on June 18.”
Notification for sealing for Sector I-8/3, I-8/4, I-10/2, I-10/1 along with the commercial areas issued. It will be enforced on 18th June. pic.twitter.com/6PDcuz6UUb
— Deputy Commissioner Islamabad (@dcislamabad) June 16, 2020
Rangers, army, and police were ordered to put obstacles on these areas to make sure public safety and to stop the spread of coronavirus. Till now, 459 cases have been reported in the I-8 sector with one death whereas, there have been 430 cases reported in I-10 with 5 deaths.
As officials of the administration said that many other parts of Islamabad have also been identified as COVID-19 hotspots and they may also be subjected to smart lockdown. Other parts are under observation by healthcare teams.
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