Sindh seeks making vaccination certificates mandatory for banking services

• Sindh health department requests NCOC to direct bankers and post office staff to offer services to only vaccinated citizens
• Also asks home department to make vaccination certificates part of SOPs enforced at restaurants and hotels.
• The NCOC has already announced getting vaccinated is mandatory for access to various services.

KARACHI: The Sindh health department on Sunday wrote a letter to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), seeking to make vaccination certificates mandatory for people to continue enjoying banking and post office services.

The health department has requested the NCOC to direct bankers and post office staff to offer services to only vaccinated citizens and refuse services to those who fail to show vaccination certificates.

The health department separately wrote to the home department to ensure that vaccination certificates be made an obligatory part of the enforcement of COVID-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued for restaurants and hotels.

Under the SOPs, citizens who are not in possession of vaccination certificates must not be allowed to dine-in at restaurants or stay at hotels. 

No vaccination no service

The NCOC has made vaccination certificates mandatory across the country for various services.

Fuel

Unvaccinated people in Lahore were to be denied petrol starting September 1 and people travelling via the motorway were also asked by motorway police to keep their vaccination certificates handy.

Public transport, domestic air travel

Unvaccinated people will not be allowed to use public transport from October 15 and vaccination will be mandatory after September 30 for domestic air travel.

Shopping malls

Furthermore, unvaccinated people will not be allowed to enter shopping malls from August 31 and from September 30, only those people who will have taken both vaccine shots will be allowed in shopping malls.

Hotels and restaurants

For hotels and restaurants, from August 31, people with one vaccine shot will be allowed, whereas, from September 30, both shots will be mandatory to access hotels and restaurants.

Marriage ceremonies

NCOC also announced that those who have not taken both vaccine doses will not be allowed to attend marriage ceremonies, whether they are indoor or outdoor, after September 30.

Mobile app for vaccination certificate

According to Dr Faisal Sultan, the prime minister's adviser on health, the NCOC has developed a mobile application in collaboration with National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to provide vaccine certificates to people.

All people have to do is submit the required details and their certificates will be generated, Dr Sultan said.

Pakistanis vaccinated abroad too will be able to generate vaccination certificates from the NADRA website starting August 26.