ISLAMABAD – Pakistani authorities have imposed a lockdown in southern Sindh province, including the Karachi commercial center and other urban centers, as the number of COVID-19 cases has increased alarmingly.
The lockdown began on Saturday and is expected to last until August 8, despite opposition from the federal government and local business community.
Sindh’s Prime Minister Murad Ali Shah said Friday a sudden surge in virus cases had flooded hospitals in the provincial capital, Karachi. The new surge appears to be linked to much of the mass attraction activity earlier this month during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.
The Sindh provincial government is closing all markets, with the exception of pharmacies, bakeries, gas stations and grocery stores, which have to close until 6 p.m. All traffic between cities will cease and public buses will not run. Private cars and taxis are limited to two people.
Ongoing exams at schools and universities will also be postponed until after the lockdown.
Nationwide, Pakistan reported 65 deaths and 4,950 new virus cases in the past 24 hours on Saturday. The South Asian country has reported 1,029,811 confirmed cases and 23,360 virus-related deaths since the pandemic began.
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HERE STILL HAPPEN:
DALLAS – An administrative judge has ordered that anyone entering a Dallas County courthouse must wear a mask to be admitted.
District Judge Maricela Moore’s order on Friday requires masks to be worn in public areas of the George Allen Courthouse, which houses the county civil courts; the Frank Crowley Courthouse, which houses its criminal courts; and the Henry Wade Building, which houses its juvenile courts. Those who refused could be barred from entering the building.
The order comes after Governor Greg Abbott reiterated his order to ban all mask mandates by a state, county or local government agency. However, it cites as its authority an order from the Texas Supreme Court “confirming the power of the judiciary to take reasonable steps to avoid exposing trials and participants to the threat of COVID-19.”
Also cited is a statement from the Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office, which maintains full judicial authority to oversee due process.
The order is valid from Monday. A message to Abbott’s office with a request for comment was not returned immediately.
The order came as COVID-19 raged across the state again, powered by the highly contagious Delta variant. The Texas Department of State Health Services reported 15,893 new cases Friday, the majority since February 3. Of these, 726 new cases came from Dallas County. In the past two weeks, the rolling average of new cases per day has increased 183% to 5,100.
On Thursday, the last day reported by state health officials, there were 5,846 people with COVID-19 in Texas hospitals, the majority since February 26. 57 new COVID-19 deaths were reported on Friday, five of them in Dallas County.
Nearly 44% of its population were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Friday, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is well below the national average of 57.2%.
HONOLULU – Hawaii officials announced 622 new COVID-19 cases, the highest number of confirmed infections since the pandemic began.
The total included cases of lab reporting delays in the past three days, officials said, but the number is still a significant increase for the state of approximately 1.4 million people. The positivity rate after seven days is now 5.1%, and officials said the average daily number of cases for the past three days is now over 300.
Previously, the record number of confirmed cases in a single day was 355 in August 2020.
Officials said the surge was linked to the highly contagious Delta variant. Just over 60% of Hawaii’s residents are fully vaccinated.
ATLANTA – Local officials in Georgia are making efforts to increase vaccination rates as schools continue to urge students and staff to wear masks amid rising COVID-19 infection rates.
At least 23 counties across the state, which cover nearly a third of the public school population, now say everyone must wear a mask. Dooly County had already started classes on Wednesday, and someone at the county’s 1,200-student high school tested positive for the respiratory disease, leading to a mask requirement.
The Montgomery County’s school district postponed its start date on Friday by a week to August 10 amid a staff shortage due to too many teachers being quarantined after exposure to COVID-19.
The districts changed their policies after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the universal use of masks in schools this week.
Some parents protest against mask requirements. Dozens of opponents gathered outside the administration building in Gwinnett County, Georgia’s largest school district, on Friday.
NEW ORLEANS – New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell is introducing a mandatory indoor mask mandate, regardless of vaccination status, and demanding that all civic employees and contractors in the city be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
The mayor and senior officials raised the alarm during a quickly convened press conference Friday afternoon, noting the alarming rise in coronavirus infections in a city that was an early hotspot for the pandemic.
“All of our people have to mask themselves when they’re inside,” Cantrell said.
The city has just over 4,000 employees, and everyone must be vaccinated immediately, she said. Building contractors who want to work for the city also have to get vaccinated.
Officials said the city’s average daily caseload almost tripled and six people died in the past week. The number of sick children is particularly worrying, officials said.
“It affects everyone in our community,” said Cantrell. “Our children are dying”
CHICAGO – Chicago now has an inner mask guide for anyone over 2 years old.
The measures taken on Friday come as the Centers for Disease Control recommend people, even if they are vaccinated, to wear masks indoors in areas where there is high transmission of COVID-19.
The Chicago Health Department announced that the city exceeded 200 new coronavirus cases per day on Friday.
According to Dr. Public Health Commissioner Allison Arwady took the step to recommend the use of inner masks to prevent further spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.
The Illinois Department of Health reported 2,348 new confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19, topping 2,000 for the second time in three days.
TORONTO – The Canadian Health Authority says two travelers who arrived in Toronto from the United States were fined nearly CAD 20,000 ($ 16,029.37) for showing fake COVID-19 evidence from vaccination documents and over testing lied upon departure.
The couple also failed to meet requirements to stay at a government-authorized hotel or get tested on arrival, the agency said in a new press release on Friday.
The travelers arrived last week and were fined four times, each of CND 19,720 ($ 15,804.96).
“It is important for all travelers coming to Canada to be informed and plan ahead,” the message reads. “It is the traveler’s responsibility to ensure that they are eligible to enter Canada and meet all mandatory requirements.”
Canada on July 5 relaxed quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated Canadians and foreigners with an entry exemption, but they must upload their vaccination documents to the ArriveCAN app prior to entry.
Those who are not fully vaccinated will still have to stay in a government-approved hotel for three days, quarantined for 14 days, and tested before departure, after arrival, and eight days later.
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