Karachi/Islamabad/Lahore (Staff Report/Agencies): After the Centre and Sindh, Punjab also threatened to reimpose the lockdown if people do not observe social distancing in markets and workplaces as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan on Wednesday rose to 35,303.
At least 13,225 cases reported in Punjab, 12,610 in Sindh, 5,021 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 2,158 in Balochistan, 475 in Gilgit Baltistan, 759 in Islamabad, and 88 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the National Command and Control Centre, the death toll related to COVID-19 has reached 761, while at least 8,812 patients have fully recovered.
The number of coronavirus cases has continued to soar despite the country remained under a lockdown about 45 days.
However, small markets and shops in the country reopen on Monday after the government relax coronavirus lockdown, allowing the businesses to open from 8am in the morning till 5pm in the evening.
On Sunday, the governments of the four provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and the administration of the federal territories decided to ease the restrictions and allow select shops and businesses to resume operations after a more than a month-long hiatus.
According to reports, shops in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh will remain open from morning till 5pm, while those in Balochistan will remain open till 4pm. Strict standard operating procedures have been issued by the provincial governments as business activities resume.
Hair dressers, beauty parours, gyms and other places of public gathering will continue to remain closed until further notice. The provincial governments have also annoucned plans to take action against shopkeepers not following virus protocols.
Global coronavirus cases surpassed 4 million and death toll tops 285,000.