Punjab govt extends lockdown in various districts till August 31

LAHORE: In a bid 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 functions will be allowed with a maximum number of 300 guests under strict COVID-19 protocols, read the notification.

Gatherings: No indoor gathering or event/ceremony will be allowed during the lockdown. However, outdoor gatherings will be allowed for a maximum 300 individuals with strict adherence to coronavirus SOPs.

The new restrictions will come into force with immediate effect, according to the notification.

Meanwhile, the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department Secretary Sarah Aslam said that the ongoing lockdown has been extended in various areas of Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan and Faisalabad. The district administration and police will jointly ensure implementation of COVID-19 SOPs, she added.      

COVID-19 infection rate reaches alarming level

Provincial capitals Karachi and Lahore continued to report a surge in coronavirus cases Monday as Pakistan battles the fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Karachi reported an alarming 21.40% coronavirus positivity ratio Monday. Despite the high number of cases being reported in the city, the Sindh government decided to relax the nine-day lockdown period.

Shops, markets, shopping malls and businesses that had been closed on the provincial government's lockdown orders reopened Monday morning. A large number of people flocked to hotels early morning today.

Lahore, on the other hand, reported its highest positivity ratio since the fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic started. 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 slight 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 Centre (NCOC) 4,040 new cases were detected across Pakistan after 53,528 coronavirus tests were taken in the last 24 hours.

This pushes the total number of cases to 1,071,620.

There is a small downward trend in daily numbers, however, active cases continue to increase with the latest figure recorded at 83,298 cases.

In the last 24 hours, another 53 people have died of COVID-19. Two days ago, Pakistan had recorded 95 deaths from coronavirus, which was the highest single-day toll during the ongoing fourth wave of the pandemic.

Some 964,404 patients have so far recovered, whereas the total number of deaths has reached 23,918.

Overall, coronavirus cases across Pakistan haven't declined significantly, however, Sindh has lifted its lockdown as of today. Revised COVID-19 restrictions, which will last till August 31, have been announced by the Sindh government.