ISLAMABAD –The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) Tuesdayapproached provincial governments asking them to prepare for a two-weeklockdown in 20 cities from the end of this week.

Pakistan’s top monitoring body wrote letters to the provincial authoritieswhere the coronavirus situation is extremely bad and the restrictionsimposed by the authorities have failed to stem the spread.

NCOC wrote a letter titled ‘Input / Feedback — City Wise Lockdown’. In theletter, the authorities directed that a two-week city-wise lockdown inaffected districts is cautiously planned and provinces need to carry outnecessary planning at the earliest.

The most affected cities, where the lockdown is being planned, include thefederal capital, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala,Bahawalpur, Hyderabad, Peshawar, Dir Lower, Mardan, Nowshera, Malakand,Charsadda, Swat, Swabi, Muzaffarabad, Sudhnuti, Poonch and Bagh.

Prime Minister Imran Khan Tuesday also stressed the need for smoothsupplies of food items during the lockdown.

Meanwhile, Pakistan, which has been battling the third wave of thecoronavirus, on Wednesday, reported 201 new deaths in the last 24 hours -the highest single-day death toll recorded since the pandemic started.