ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has recorded 2,253 new coronavirus cases and 29 more deaths in the past 24 hours as the situation worsens across the country.
According to the latest figures from National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the total number of cases reported in the country has reached 607,453 with the inclusion of fresh cases. The death toll from the disease has reached 13,537.
The total count of active cases is 22,038 and the positivity rate increases up to 5.11 per cent while 1,823 are still in critical condition.
In the past 24 hours, as many as 1,307 patients have recovered from the virus. A total of 44,061 tests were conducted across the country during this period. Overall 571,878 people have recovered from the deadly disease so far while 9,529,763 samples have been tested so far.
Punjab has recorded 186,659 cases and 5,769 deaths. The number of active cases in the province has reached to 10,195. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the number of cases has reached 76,104 including 2,159 deaths while there are 3,290 active cases in the province.
Earlier on Sunday, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) had hinted at imposing a complete lockdown in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases .
The NCOC expressed concerns over the rising number of fresh cases in the provinces and urged the masses to strictly follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs) to stem the spread of the virus.
The Punjab government has imposed a smart lockdown in various cities across the province amid a rising number of coronavirus cases. The provincial government has imposed a lockdown in 16 areas of Lahore, 17 in Gujarat, 20 in Gujranwala and four areas of Rawalpindi.
All shops selling fruit, vegetable, milk, meat as well as bakeries will remain open till 7PM. As per the rules, only one person will be allowed to leave the house in case of an emergency. Business centres in Punjab will be closed from Monday at 6PM, whereas markets will be closed on Saturday and Sunday.
All indoor wedding halls, shrines, cinemas, and community centres have been closed in the most affected areas of Gujarat, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Multan, and Gujranwala.
