Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Punjab government spokesperson Musarrat Cheema has said that Punjab’s positive cases have seen a decline from 23% to 13% in the last month.
“The commitment our healthcare and rescue workers showed in this crisis is why we are still ahead in this crisis. They deserve all our gratitude,” Cheema said.
Meanwhile, passenger coaches, buses and vans resumed operations across Sindh after four months on Saturday after the approval of the provincial government.
Passenger vans are allowed to travel to Karachi, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Tharparkar and Badin, among other places. Transporters at the Badin bus stop took all the necessary precautions against the coronavirus. Passengers were sprayed with disinfectant and given masks. No more than nine passengers were allowed in an 18-seater van.
“This has made things really convenient for us,” said a passenger. “We previously had to pay extra to travel home in private vehicles.”
The fares, on the other hand, have been increased by 50% to 60%. The fare from Hyderabad to Mirpurkhas is Rs250 now. It used to cost Rs130. Passengers travelling to Umerkot from Hyderabad had to pay Rs500 as opposed to Rs300 before.
On Saturday, 3,387 new Coronavirus cases surfaced in the country over the last twenty four hours, taking the total tally to 226,868. These include 80,297 in Punjab, 92,306 in Sindh, 27,506 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 10,717 in Balochistan, 13,292 in Islamabad, 1,536 in Gilgit Baltistan and 1,214 in Azad Kashmir.
The virus claimed 68 lives across the country during the last twenty four hours taking the death tally to 4,619. Sindh reported 1,585 new Covid-19 cases during the last 24 hours, taking the tally to 92,306.
According to Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, 42 people succumbed to the disease as the death toll reached 1,501 in the province. He further said that 1,480 more patients recovered from the deadly disease, taking the total to 52,388. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Saturday lifted lockdowns from 89 areas of the province after a significant decrease in reported cases from these hotspots, the health department’s focal person Dr Iftikharuddin said.
