ISLAMABAD: Pakistan reported 157 deaths from coronavirus on Saturday, making it the country’s highest death toll since the coronavirus pandemic began last year.
Previously, the highest death toll reported was 153 on June 20th last year. The total death tally has now surged to 16,999. On the other hand, the national positivity ratio shot up to 11.27 percent.
According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Pakistan reported 5,908 cases and 157 deaths from the coronavirus in the past 24 hours. The total number of cases has reached 790,016 since the pandemic began.
The date showed that 52,402 tests were conducted in Pakistan past day. The total number of active cases is also steadily rising and has reached 86,529.
Punjab has reported 285,542 cases, 276,670 in Sindh, 112,140 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 72,613 in Islamabad, 21,477 in Balochistan, 16,327 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and 5,247 in Gilgit Baltistan.
Amid the rising number of cases, the National Command and Operation Center has announced to enforce a new set of measures in addition to the existing ones to contain the pandemic.
The latest steps were decided at a meeting of the National Coordination Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad, after taking stock of the Covid-19 situation in the country.
According to a notification issued by the NCOC, there will be complete closure of classes in districts beyond five percent positivity, including classes from nine to twelve.
All public and private offices and departments will observe reduced office hours from 9:00am to 2:00pm with the strict implementation of fifty percent work from home policy.
Two days will be observed as closed days during a week, and the choice of days will be as per discretion of the federating units. However, essential services will remain exempted from it.
The other measures include complete ban on all activities after 6:00 pm till Sehri with the exception of essential services; complete ban on indoor and outdoor dining; closure of gyms and implementation of stringent tourism protocols by all federating units to curtail mobility.
These measures will remain enforced till 17th of the next month. However, the NCOC will review the situation of the pandemic in the country on 11th of the next month to take further course of action.
