Pakistan’s daily virus tally nears 4,000

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s coronavirus cases saw another record spike on Tuesday, with nearly 4,000 new infections confirmed in a 24-hour-period, a day after the government marched ahead with its plans to reopen the economy.

The government’s official Covid portal reported a record 3,938 new cases, with 78 deaths over the last 24 hours. The latest surge in cases takes the nationwide tally of reported cases to 76,398, with over 1,600 deaths. Among the fatalities on Tuesday was Sindh Minister for Katchi Abadis (slums) Ghulam Murtaza Baloch. He was said to be on a ventilator for many days before he succumbed to the disease.

A day earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan announced a further easing of curbs, reopening the tourism sector during the high-business summer months, while putting the onus of taking safety precautions on the nation.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, the Sindh government agreed to resume public and online transport services across the province from today (Wednesday), Sindh Transport Minister Awais Shah announced following negotiations with transport bodies.

A monitoring and inspection team has been constituted to ensure that social distancing guidelines and standard operation procedures (SOPs) are followed by transporters to stem the spread of the coronavirus. “If SOPs are not followed then public transport will once again be banned,” said the minister. He added that extra passengers will not be added to buses and other modes of transport.

The provincial government has also allowed online transport services to resume operations as well, however, with proper guidelines in place. As per the SOPs, only two people in a car at a time will be allowed to travel, said the minister.

“One more person can be added in an emergency situation,” said the minister. He added that they will be allowed to resume operations on a seat by seat basis.

Meanwhile, President Karachi Transport Ittihad (KTI) Irshad Bukhari said that he was thankful to Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah for allowing transport services in the metropolis.

“After two and a half months transport is resuming,” he said, adding: “We will make it mandatory for drivers and conductors to wear masks and gloves.”

Meanwhile, Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid said there were 251 critical patients in the province. The minister reminded the people to follow precautionary measures as it reduces the infection’s spread by at least 40 per cent.