Staff Reporter
Islamabad
There are unmistakable signs of the resurgence of the Coronavirus in Pakistan, according to the Minister for Planning, Asad Umar, who oversees the government’s response to the Covid-19 epidemic.
The minister has warned of another lockdown if cases continue to rise, saying the government “may have to take restrictive actions which have negative effects on people’s livelihoods”.
In a series of tweets on Thursday, Asad Umar said the national coronavirus positivity had risen to 2.37% yesterday, which is the highest in more than 50 days.
The minister said 11 virus deaths on average have been reported during the first four days of this week, the highest since August 10. These are the “unmistakable signs of the rise of corona” in Pakistan, he said.
The federal minister also noted that Covid-19 positivity is “extremely high” in Muzaffarabad, “high” in Karachi, and “rising” in Lahore and Islamabad.
“Time for all of us to take Covid-19 SoP’s seriously again. Otherwise, unfortunately, we may have to take restrictive actions that have negative effects on people’s livelihoods,” he warned.
The minister, who also oversees Pakistan’s response to the pandemic, said 11 virus deaths on average have been reported during the first four days of this week, the highest since August 10.
Meanwhile, Pakistan on Thursday reported 13 more patients died of coronavirus and 765 new positive cases in the last 24 hours. According to National Command and Control Center, around 765 cases of coronavirus were reported and 13 patients succumbed to the disease in the last 24 hours, increasing the total death toll to 6,614.
