LAHORE – Amid rising trend of coronavirus cases, the Punjab government has imposed a smart lockdown in six districts including Lahore for two weeks.
Restrictions have been imposed in Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sargodha and Rawalpindi in order to control the spread of the virus.
As per restrictions, markets in the districts will close at 6pm while business centres will remain closed on weekends.
The provincial government has also announced to close parks, shrines and wedding halls. However, restaurants can offer takeaways and deliveries.
The government has also imposed ban on holding any sports activities and festivals for 15 days.
The announcement comes after Planning minister Asad Umar announced that Pakistan is under third wave of the pandemic.
Another 54 people have died due to coronavirus infection while 2,701 new positive cases were reported in the country during the last twenty-four hours, according to official data.
The number of novel coronavirus infections in Pakistan crossed the 600,000 mark on Friday while the overall death toll has now reached 13,430.
The statistics issued by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) show the total active coronavirus cases stand at 18,703 while 568,065 patients have recovered from the disease.
The notable surge in virus cases surfaced after the authorities decided to loosen some coronavirus restrictions last month.