Yesterday, Islamabad recorded the highest ever single-day tally of novel Coronavirus infections as 747 new cases were detected in the capital.

This tally took the total number of reported Covid cases in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) past 50,000. While at least 536 people have succumbed to the deadly flu bug.

ICT, like the other regions of the country, has seen an alarming rise he coronavirus cases in the last couple of weeks. This surge had prompted the local authorities to impose 'Smart Lockdown' in three sectors in the federal capital earlier on March 14th. Reacting to surging flu cases, the local government today decided to tighten the lockdown restrictions.

Sharing a notification on his Twitter account a few hours ago regarding the closure, Deputy Commissioner Muhammed Hamza Shafqaat said:

Today we had 747 positive cases in Islamabad. It is the highest number of Covid positive cases in a single day in Islamabad ever. Islamabad Administration has started a crackdown on SOPs violations. Stay safe everyone and follow the SOPs, please.

Explaining the restaurant SOPs, DC further wrote:

Increase in Covid positivity has resulted in further restrictions. Outdoor dining to be closed at 10 pm. Weekends will be off for any activity. Takeaways are allowed 24 hours.

As per the reports, the COVID-19 positivity rate rose to 8.5% in Islamabad in the last 24 hours. According to the District Health Officer (DHO) Islamabad, 51% of the ventilators reserved for the critical Covid patients are currently in use. That's a grim statistic eliciting the gravity of the situation. So it's mandatory that the public keep following the SOPs put in place by the government and remember to wear masks in public.