Zubair Qureshi
Islamabad
Total number of coronavirus cases on Tuesday jumped by 1,360 from 56,350 to 57,710 in last 24 hours thus ringing alarm bells and forcing the authorities to review the anti-coronavirus strategy and mull various options including withdrawal of ease in businesses.
Besides new cases, 30 deaths were reported in a day thus taking the toll to 1,197 from 1,167 that were reported on Monday.
Meanwhile, more than 18,000 have been recovered.
With regard to frequent violations of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) by the people during the Eid Al Fitr holidays, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza has hinted that the country may be subjected to further lockdown if the number of coronavirus cases and deaths continued to surge.
Dr Mirza, while talking to the media in Islamabad, said Prime Minister Imran Khan had directed ease in lockdown keeping in mind problems of the daily workers, low income individuals or families “but we have seen little regard of those standard operating procedures (SOPs) in markets by the customers as well as the shopkeepers during the Eid holidays and this can lead to further spread of the virus.” He warned that any further indifference to the implementation of the SOPs could worsen the situation as the daily number of cases is skyrocketing.
Meanwhile, the nationwide tally of Covid-19 patients reached 58,477 with 20,654 cases in Punjab, 23,507 in Sindh, 8,080 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 3,468 in Balochistan, 638 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 1,728 in Islamabad and 223 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has recorded 175 new coronavirus cases, taking the provincial tally to 8,080, according to the health department. The province’s death toll from the virus rose to 408 with 10 more deaths reported — five in Peshawar, two in Malakand and one each in Swat, Bajaur and Khyber.
