Staff Reporter
Islamabad
The total number of people infected by the coronavirus in Pakistan reached 12,657 while the number of deaths has been reporter 265 on Saturday.
The province-wise patients are 5,326 in Punjab, 4,232 in Sindh, 1,793 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 721 in Balochistan, 307 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 223 in Islamabad and 55 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
At least 2,755 coronavirus patients have recovered.
The Punjab health department has confirmed another 475 cases of coronavirus in the province which includes 768 pilgrims, 1,922 Tableeghi Jamaat members, 86 inmates and 2,550 citizens. The province has also reported 10 more deaths, its highest one-day figure, taking total death toll to 78.
Two district courts in Lahore were sealed after a judicial magistrate tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Six other magistrates from the same district court have also been asked to get themselves tested and stay home until they receive conclusive results.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department has reported four more deaths in the province, taking the grim total to 89. A sharp surge in the number of cases was also reported. The tally rose to 1,708 after 167 new cases were documented. Of these, 56 are said to be international passengers put up in quarantine centres.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said the virus had claimed three more lives in the province. The provincial death toll stands at 78. Sindh health authorities reported 287 new cases, raising the provincial tally to 4,232. In the past 24 hours, 2,599 tests have been conducted.
He urged people to stay at home and ensure social distancing and thanked doctors, police and rangers for their efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus.
Balochistan government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani said that doctors in the province have not held a press conference because they are “satisfied with the government’s efforts”. He was referring to press conferences held by doctors’ associations in other provinces in which they demanded the government enforce a complete lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
“We have doctors on board, we are resolving [doctors’] issues. We have provided them with personal protective equipment and we also listened to them regarding appointments,” he said.
At least seven more cases of coronavirus were detected in Gilgit-Baltistan and nine more in Islamabad.
A judicial magistrate on Saturday granted bail to Karachi traders against surety bonds worth Rs150,000 each. On Thursday the judicial magistrate had sent six traders to prison on a 14-day judicial remand day for violating the government’s lockdown orders imposed to contain the spread of coronavirus in the metropolis. Meanwhile, Pakistanis stuck in Afghanistan have started to return to the country via the Torkham border, the district police office said on Saturday. According to the DPO, there are 500 Pakistanis in Afghanistan at the moment. “All those returning citizens will be quarantined on return,” the DPO added.
