Seven more COVID-19 affected areas sealed in Lahore

LAHORE: Punjab government has planned to seal seven more areas of Lahore in order to curb the spread of coronavirus, which has affected more than 181,000 in Pakistan.

The recommendations to seal more areas of Lahore surfaced after the country confirmed 89 deaths in a single day by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 181,088.

According to details, all blocks of Gulberg (I, II, III), Defence Housing Authority (DHA), Faisal Town, Garden Town, and interior Lahore Walled City will be put under lockdown.

The authorities said that 3,613 COVID-19 cases have been reported in these localities. Section 144 has also been imposed to force the residents to follow standard operating procedures (SOPs). Medical and grocery stores will remain open in these areas while all the shopping malls will be closed.

The officials further said that the health department, district administration, and home department will make a final decision over sealing these areas completely. There would be a complete ban on transportation and business in the sealed areas.

Lahore is the worst affected city in Punjab and is the second-worst affected city after Sindh’s Karachi. The move also comes in the backdrop of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommendation for enforcing a strict two-week lockdown in Punjab as the number of coronavirus cases continued to grow in the province.

The coronavirus has affected around 181,088 in the country, while the death toll stands at 3,590.