KARACHI: In a major spike in COVID-19 cases, the Sindh province on Saturday crossed the 600 cases mark for the first time since July.
Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah in a statement said, “We have performed 9,995 tests during the last 24 hours that resulted in 620 COVID-19 cases.”
He further said that 12 people lost their battle against coronavirus during the past 24 hours, raising the death toll in the province to 2,679.
“175 COVID-19 patients have recovered during the last 24 hours,” Murad Ali Shah said adding that the province had witnessed 140,408 recoveries from the virus so far.
The chief minister further explained that there are 6,455 active virus patients in the province.
Meanwhile, in the wake of resurging COVID-19 cases in the province, the Sindh government has issued a revised set of safety rules in order to stop the spread of the virus.
According to a notification issued by the provincial government, “The safety precautions that are issued earlier through order with the same reference number as above dated March 14, 2020, are strictly applied by all within the territorial jurisdiction of the province of Sindh.”
The notification further urged following the precautionary measures at workplaces, public places, and during traveling, especially when using public transportation.
According to the new SOPs, wearing masks has been made mandatory in public places. The city said that a fine of up to Rs 500 will be imposed in case of violation.
Meanwhile, the district administration of Hyderabad has decided to impose a smart lockdown in 16 union councils.
As of today, the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) said only 50% of employees at all private and government offices will be allowed to call into work. The remaining will have to work from home, the NCOC said.
