Punjab reports new coronavirus cases, surges Pakistan’s tally to 640

The Punjab government late Saturday night confirmed 17 new coronavirus cases, taking the provincial total to 152 and the country’s overall tally to 640.

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar confirmed the new cases in a tweet: “Confirmed #COVID19 patients in Punjab are 152.DGK quarantine 120, Lhr 21, Gujrat 3, Multan 1, Jhelum 2, Rawalpindi 1 & Gujranwala has 4 patients.”

“I urge all the citizens to act responsibly & stay at home for the next 2 days as per the restrictions imposed for #SocialDistancing,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Sindh government revised the province's tally, bringing it down to 292.

The provincial government had previously reported 396 — which was a dramatic rise in the cases, leading to a national total of 729.

Earlier in the day, the number of confirmed cases in Pakistan crossed 500. Despite the revised figures, Sindh remains the worst affected province in the country, with 292 confirmed cases of the virus. Punjab has 137, KP has 27, Balochistan 103, Islamabad 10, and Gilgit-Baltistan has 55 confirmed cases.

Sindh under lockdown

Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah announced on Friday a complete lockdown of Sindh for three days. The decision came after contact cases increased in the province.

CM Shah, in this regard, said the rising number of Sindh's local cases was "extremely concerning".

"This is why I'm appealing to the people to stay inside their homes. People must not only save themselves but their children as well," he added.

Inspector-General of Police (IGP) for Sindh Mushtaq Mehar said late Friday no more than five people should gather in cars, on the roads or any other location and that legal action would be taken in case of violation.

"The first and foremost action against a pandemic is to limit people's movement. People should reduce their travelling [inside the city] to as less as possible," Mehar added.

Unnecessary meeting, gatherings, and social communication should be avoided, the IG noted, adding that police should issue a clear guidance on the limitation on people's movement.

Deaths in Pakistan

On Friday, Pakistan recorded its third death due to coronavirus, the first in Sindh.

Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho confirmed the death of a 77-year-old COVID-19 patient in the province, taking the total number of virus deaths in Pakistan to three.