The Punjab government has decided to seal 33 more localities across the province and impose smart lockdown in eight more areas of Lahore to halt the rapid rise in coronavirus cases as 3,892 new coronavirus cases surfaced in the country within 24 hours, taking the total tally to 188,926.
According to National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), there are 69,536 coronavirus cases in Punjab, 72,656 in Sindh, 23,388 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 9,634 in Balochistan, 1,1483 in Islamabad, 1,337 in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and 892 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
The death toll from the virus stands at 3,755 with 60 deaths reported over the last 24 hours. 23,380 Covid-19 tests were carried out during this period. 77,754 patients have so far recovered from the disease.
Chief Secretary Punjab Jawad Rafique Malik has approved the strict implementation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) in the province to curb coronavirus spread and said that action will be taken against those who violate SOPs.
In view of the slide in the number of Covid-19 cases and death rate, the selected lockdown has been extended to 33 more areas of the province.
According to reports, 96,229 houses and 1.69 million people will be put under lockdown in all blocks of Gulberg (1, 2, 3), Defence Housing Authority (DHA), Faisal Town, Garden Town and the Walled City of Lahore.
Section 144 has also been imposed in the areas to force the people to follow the rules to control and restrict the coronavirus spread.
The government of Punjab also considering to keep the cattle markets in the outskirts of the cities.
Moreover, Islamabad’s four more sectors have been locked down, while smart lockdown has been in force in 25 localities of Faisalabad. A smart lockdown has also been in force in 41 areas of Karachi, 14 areas of Peshawar.
Separately, it emerged on Wednesday that the federal government is considering to reopen universities across the country from July 15.
According to details, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has been formally informed in this regard while suggestions have also been sought from universities administrations.
In March 2020, the government had closed all the schools, colleges and universities due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The decision was taken in a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC), presided by Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad, Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood said on Twitter.
