Lahore/Quetta/Karachi/Peshawar (Staff Report/Agencies): The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan on Wednesday rose to 255,768 after about 2,165 new coronavirus cases surfaced in the country over the last twenty-four hours.
Overall, 107,773 cases were reported in Sindh, 88,045 in Punjab, 31,001 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 11,239 in Balochistan, 14,315 in Islamabad, 1,708 in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and 1,688 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
According to the government's Covid-19 portal, the death toll related to coronavirus has reached 5,386 with 67 fatalities reported during the last 24 hours.
The National Command and Operation Center’s (NCOC) data shows that there has been an improvement in the number of recoveries from COVID-19 in the country with figure now reaching 172,810.
Nearly one-and-a-half months after imposing the lockdown across the country, the government announced to ease the lockdown in phases.
Later, "Smart lockdowns" had been imposed in Covid-19 hotspots in major cities across the country.
As per NCOC, the implementation on the smart lockdown in the country has significantly reduced the number of deaths.
Meanwhile, the NCOC has directed the provincial governments and district administrations across the country to ensure strict compliance of standard operating procedures (SOPs) and health guidelines devised by the Health Ministry in cattle markets to avoid the spread of COVID-19.
The directions were issued during the NCOC meeting chaired by Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar in Islamabad.
Speaking on the occasion, Asad Umar said if the SOPs and health guidelines are not followed in the cattle markets then it could cause serious impacts in exacerbating the pandemic situation.
Interior Minister Brigadier (R) Ijaz Ahmed Shah briefed the meeting on Muharram management plan and setting up of cattle markets outside the urban areas.
It is pertinent to mention that the global coronavirus cases have reportedly surpassed 13 million and death toll tops 572,000.
