Lahore: In order to contain the spread of COVID-19, the Punjab government has extended the ongoing lockdown in various areas of the province till August 31, a notification from the province’s primary and secondary health department said.
There will be a complete ban on indoor weddings till the end of the month, however, outdoor wedding ceremonies with a maximum of 300 guests will be allowed under strict COVID-19 protocols, read the notification.
Gatherings: No indoor gatherings or events/functions will be allowed during the lockdown. However, outdoor gatherings will be allowed for a maximum of 300 persons strictly adhering to the coronavirus SOPs.
As per the notification, the new restrictions will come into force with immediate effect.
Meanwhile, Secretary of Primary and Secondary Health Department Sara Aslam said that the ongoing lockdown has been extended in various areas of Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan and Faisalabad. He said that the district administration and police would jointly ensure the implementation of the COVID-19 SOPs.
COVID-19 infection rate reaches alarming levels
Provincial capitals Karachi and Lahore continued to report a surge in coronavirus cases on Monday as Pakistan grapples with the fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
Karachi on Monday reported an alarming 21.40% coronavirus positivity ratio. Despite the high number of cases being reported in the city, the Sindh government decided to relax the lockdown period of nine days.
Shops, markets, shopping malls and businesses that were closed on the provincial government’s lockdown orders reopened on Monday morning. A large number of people gathered in the hotels early today.
Lahore, on the other hand, reported its highest positivity ratio since the fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic began. The Old City reported a coronavirus positivity ratio of 9.2% on Monday.
Rawalpindi and Islamabad reported 16% and 5% coronavirus positivity ratios. Overall, however, Pakistan reported a marginal decline in coronavirus cases as the country’s positivity ratio fell to 7.54% on Monday.
53 more people die of COVID-19
According to the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), 4,040 new cases were detected across Pakistan after 53,528 coronavirus tests were conducted in the last 24 hours.
This takes the total number of cases to 1,071,620.
There is a slight downward trend in the daily numbers, however, active cases continue to rise with the latest figure recorded at 83,298 cases.
In the last 24 hours, 53 more people have died of COVID-19. Two days ago, Pakistan had recorded 95 deaths from the coronavirus, the highest in a day during the ongoing fourth wave of the pandemic.
Some 964,404 patients have been cured so far, taking the total death toll to 23,918.
Overall, there has not been a significant drop in coronavirus cases across Pakistan, however, Sindh has lifted its lockdown as of today. The revised COVID-19 restrictions, which will last till August 31, have been announced by the Sindh government.
.