Staff Reporter
Lahore
Seven cities of Punjab were put under a 15-day smart lockdown that commenced from Friday and will last till July 24.
Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department of Punjab issued anotification under the Infectious Diseases Ordinance 2020 about enforcement of lockdown in Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Gujrat and Rawalpindi, till July 24, 2020 midnight.
“All markets, shopping malls, restaurants, offices (public and private) shall remain closed in these areas,” read the notification. “There shall be a complete ban on movement of people to and from these areas by public and private transport except for limited movement of one person per vehicle to and from the exempted facilities.”The basic necessities of life will remain available in smart lockdown areas.
Meanwhile, the confirmed coronavirus cases in the country jumped to 245,436 after 2,751 new cases were detected over the last 24 hours, data from the National Command and Control Centre showed.
According to the NCOC, the number of cases in Azad Jammu and Kashmir is 1,485, Balochistan 11,099, Gilgit-Baltistan 1,619, Islamabad Capital Territory 13,829, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 29,775, Punjab 85,261 and Sindh 102,368.
The country also reported 75 fatalities over the last 24 hours taking the nationwide tally to 5,105.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government inaugurated the “first” National Covid Hospital in Peshawar, said Special Assistant to CM KP for Local Government and Rural Development Kamran Bangash.
Bangash who accompanied KP CM Mahmood Khan and Health Minister Taimur Jhagra at the inauguration stated the facility had multiple emergency response systems like Isolation wards, ICUs, and HDUs. Sindh reported 1,468 new coronavirus cases and 36 deaths, during the past 24 hours, according to Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.
In a statement, Shah said 10,276 tests were carried out, out of which 1,468 cases came back positive, taking the provincial total to 102,368. The death toll is now 1,713, he said.
Punjab reported 674 new cases of the coronavirus and 17 deaths, according to figures released by the government.
