Pakistan to observe Eid ul Fitr holidays from May 10-15

The National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) on Thursday announced Eid-ul-Fitr holidays in Pakistan from May 10-15.

A statement from the NCOC said: "Announcement of Eid Holidays from 10-15 May 2021 — clearly stating the intention of reducing national mobility."

NCOC, in a bid to curb the spread of the virus, also announced comprehensive guidelines by the name of "STAY HOME-STAY SAFE — Eid-ul-Fitr-2021 from 8-16 May 2021".

The NCOC has also imposed a ban on chand raat bazaars, including mehendi, jewelry, and clothing stalls — from 8-16 May.

Earlier, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) had announced that it will not be issuing new notes on Edi ul Fitr this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Like last year, we will not be issuing new banknotes on Eid ul Fitr due to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic,” said the SBP in a statement.

Pakistan's coronavirus positivity ratio jumped to 9.6% today after the country reported over 5,000 new infections in the last 24 hours.

According to the official data provided by the NCOC, 5,480 people tested positive for the coronavirus, after 57,013 tests were conducted across the country.

The total tally of COVID-19 cases now stands at 815,711, with most cases reported in Punjab.

The number of recoveries nationwide has reached 708,193 so far, while the number of active cases in the country stands at 89,838 as of today.

A day earlier, Pakistan reported the highest single-day death toll recorded since the pandemic started last year with over 200 new fatalities.