Two-week lockdown imposed on 20 cities as virus cases spike
Another member of Imran Khan’s cabinet tests positive as total cases cross 150,000
Several areas identified as hotspots of coronavirus in 20 cities across Pakistan have come under strict lockdown for next two weeks, as the country’s total number of positive cases reached 151,000 yesterday, with a total of 2,840 deaths.
“A total of 20 cities across Pakistan have been identified as having a likely increase in ratio/speed of infection, which needs restrictive measures for containment,” said a statement from the National Command & Operation Centre. (NCOC).
There has been a sudden spike in the number of coronavirus cases in the country, with around 50,000 new infections and 800 deaths recorded during the past ten days alone.
The areas that have been brought under strict lockdown measures yesterday are in cities such as Lahore, Peshawar, Swat and Karachi, among others. Only grocery and medicine stores have been excluded from the ambit of restrictive measures.
Positive cases
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), four residential areas of Peshawar have been identified as coronavirus hotspots. They included Ahsrafia Colony, Channa Road, Danishabad and
Hayatabad in Phase 1/Sector E-1. Police have been deployed in these areas.
In Lahore, 32 localities have been identified as Covid-19 hotspots. These have also been brought under lockdown following a large number of positive cases. As many as 34,000 families from these areas — with a total population 104,946 — are being confined to their homes for the next two weeks.
Meanwhile, yet another member of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Cabinet, Federal Minister for Information Technology (IT) and Telecommunications, Aminul Haq, has tested positive for coronavirus.
Haq is the latest case of coronavirus infection among politicians after a Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) minister from Sindh, Syed Shehla Raza, was diagnosed with the dreaded virus.
Haq confirmed yesterday that he had been suffering from persistent fever for the past one week, which initially turned out to be typhoid.
The minister said he then underwent a coronavirus test, which turned out to be positive. “As soon as I became aware that I was infected, I isolated myself,” Haq was quoted as saying by the local media.