Jan 10, 2022: The port city’s largest food festival, Karachi Eat, is set to take place January 14-16 in Beach View Park, Clifton, despite a sharp rise in coronavirus cases due to the omicron variant.

The event which started in Frere Hall in 2014 with stalls has now become one of the largest and most awaited food festivals in the metropolis with a large venue and even more stalls. Thousands of food lovers flock to the festival each year, offering a diverse range of local and international cuisine and live performances.

Experts have warned against holding such events as the Sindh Health Department has reported a positive rate of 15.52% corona virus in Karachi. On January 4, the positive rate was 6.62%.

“At the moment the organisers at Karachi Eat are assuring that SOPs [social distancing precautions] will be enforced to the best of their abilities, only vaccinated folks are be allowed entry into the festival and vaccine awareness and boosters will also be provided at the site of the festival,” Mehar Khursheed, a spokesperson for the Sindh health department was quoted as saying by Arab News.

According to Dr Qaiser Sajjad, secretary general of Pakistan Medical Association, “The new omicron strain is spreading fast. If the number of cases grows it can mutate to another, a more lethal strain,”

“Secondly, the delta variant is also present in the city and it together with Omicron may create another strain or make the existing ones from mild to severe.”

“Holding such a huge gathering is very undesirable in such a situation. The government should not only ask the organisers to postpone the event but also take other measures like limiting attendance in marriage ceremonies and other events that are taking place in the city,” Dr Sajjad added.

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