Lahore/Quetta/Karachi/Peshawar (Staff Report/Agencies): The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan on Friday rose to 259,999 after about 2,085 new coronavirus cases surfaced in the country over the last twenty-four hours.
Overall, 110,068 cases were reported in Sindh, 89,023 in Punjab, 31,486 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 11,385 in Balochistan, 14,454 in Islamabad, 1,775 in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and 1,808 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
According to the government's Covid-19 portal, the death toll related to coronavirus has reached 5,475 with 49 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 183,737.
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, Prime Minister Imran Khan directed the Interior Ministry to ensure strict compliance to standard operating procedures (SOPs) during Eidul Azha.
Federal Interior Minister Brigadier (retd) Ijaz Shah informed the premier about his recent visits to Lahore and Peshawar and his upcoming trips to Quetta and Karachi to review the implementation of SOPs.
It is pertinent to mention that the global coronavirus cases have reportedly surpassed 13.8 million and death toll tops 588,000.
