Lahore/Quetta/Karachi/Peshawar (Staff Report/Agencies): The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan on Monday rose to 274,289 after about 1,176 new coronavirus cases surfaced in the country over the last twenty-four hours.
Overall, 118,311 cases were reported in Sindh, 92,073 in Punjab, 33,397 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 11,601 in Balochistan, 14,884 in Islamabad, 1,989 in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and 2,034 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
According to the government's Covid-19 portal, the death toll related to coronavirus has reached 5,842 with 20 fatalities reported during the last 24 hours.
The National Command and Operation Center’s (NCOC) data shows that there has been an improvement in the number of recoveries from COVID-19 in the country with figure now reaching 241,026.
Nearly one-and-a-half months after imposing the lockdown across the country, the government announced to ease the lockdown in phases.
Later, "Smart lockdowns" had been imposed in Covid-19 hotspots in major cities across the country.
As per NCOC, the implementation on the smart lockdown in the country has significantly reduced the number of deaths.
Meanwhile, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Zafar Mirza said that the sale of sacrificial animals and establishment of cattle markets within cities are strictly banned across the country.
Addressing a news conference in Islamabad on Sunday, he said that special preparations have been made in consultations with all stakeholders to implement Standard operating procedures (SOPs) during Eid Days.
The SAPM said that the pandemic will further spread if SOPs not followed by the citizens.He said SOPs should also be followed during offering of Eid Prayers.
Dr Zafar Mirza advised citizens to prefer purchasing of Sacrificing animal through online instead of going to cattle markets.
The SAPM also urged the people to prefer collective sacrifice arranged instead of individual fulfilment of the ritual to maintain social distancing and contain the spread of coronavirus.
It is pertinent to mention that the global coronavirus cases have reportedly surpassed 16.4 million and death toll tops 652,000.
