A whopping 4,131 new coronavirus cases were reported across the country on June 2 and 67 more died from the infection over the past 24 hours, Geo News reported.
The latest surge in COVID-19 cases takes the nation-wide tally to 80,463 while the death toll has risen to 1,688. According to statistics provided by NCOC, Pakistan has broken its previous record number of new COVID-19 cases reported over 24 hours yesterday which was 3,938.
Earlier on Sunday, Pakistan reported its most number of deaths during 24 hours with 88 new fatalities, however, given the swelling number of coronavirus cases, doctors and health experts have warned that the infection is likely to further spread unless a strict lockdown is not imposed.
Prime Minister Imran Khan, in a live televised address, had apprised the nation on the decisions made regarding the lockdown in Pakistan to contain the novel coronavirus during the National Coordination Committee (NCC) meeting held on Monday.
"Since day one when we got to know that the coronavirus had started spreading in Pakistan, we imposed a lockdown following a national security committee meeting," he had said.
"We observed the conditions in the Chinese city of Wuhan and in Europe when the virus started spreading and we were seeing how the world was responding. But at that time, when we had discussions and meetings, I was very clear on the path Pakistan had to take.
"Pakistan's situation is different than that in China or Europe," he had said, noting that he had earlier informed the nation that 25% of the country's population was below the poverty line, which "means that nearly 50 million people in our country do not eat two full meals a day".
PM Imran had said doctors, elite, and the poor all had diverse opinions but it was the downtrodden ones of the society who did not have a voice.
"But in hindsight, I should not have stopped businesses and construction because we had to balance it. Coronavirus is not going away until a vaccine is not formulated. We have to live with it," he had noted.
PM Imran had also mentioned that the government had prepared a 'negative list' of sectors that would remain shut down but "we have opened everything else". The list, he added, "will be shared later in the day as a debate is being held over the resumption of tourism".