Pakistan’s COVID-19 positivity ratio drops to 4.8%

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s coronavirus positivity ratio has dropped to the lowest level in 10 weeks as the country reported a 4.82 percent positivity rate after 2,253 new infections reported over the past 24 hours.

According to National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Pakistan recorded a total of 2,253 new infections of the novel coronavirus and 92 deaths in the past 24 hours.

The total caseload of the country now stands at 905,852 as of today. About 813,855 people have recovered from the virus in the country so far with the number of active cases in Pakistan standing at 62,295.

Although COVID-19 cases are decreasing across the country, Sindh is reporting a spike in infections. The total number of coronavirus patients in Sindh has reached 310,557 while 4,936 people have died from the infection so far.

In Punjab, the total number of COVID-19 patients is 335,577 and 9,839 people have died so far due to the virus while the total number of patients in Balochistan is 24,638 and the death toll has reached 270.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has recorded a total of 130,187 virus patients, with 3,970 deaths, while in Azad Kashmir, 18,852 people have been infected with the virus and 532 people have died.

Sindh restricts unnecessary movement

The Sindh government on Monday took the decision to limit the movement of citizens in the province from May 25 in order to mitigate the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases in the province.

The new restrictions decided during a meeting of the coronavirus provincial task force chaired by CM Murad, will now limit unnecessary movement after 8pm. Only those individuals who have a valid reason to be out after 8pm will be allowed to do so.

The restrictions apply across the province, but have a focus on Karachi and Hyderabad, as the two cities have reported a higher number of cases when compared to the rest of the province.

Business hours in the province will be from 5am to 6pm whereas bakeries and milk shops will be allowed to open till 12 midnight. Departmental and superstores would be allowed to remain open till 6pm whereas businesses would remain closed on Fridays and Sundays.