16,329 4,052

islamabad — Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said that Pakistan’s situation in terms of the coronavirus pandemic was “much better” than other countries.

Addressing a news briefing along with his aides in Islamabad, he said the death rate in the country from coronavirus was “lower than feared”, reports

The premier added that he had “thought that our intensive care units (ICUs) would be overwhelmed by now but that is not the case”.

The prime minister also said that the government is doing its best to repatriate overseas Pakistanis who wanted to return to the country. “These people are our VIPs as the remittances they send to the country support us immeasurably.”

Khan said the ‘Coronavirus Relief Fund’ set up by the government would be used to help those individuals who lost their employment during the pandemic’s outbreak. He said the government will contribute Rs4 for every rupee donated to the fund.

The prime minister also lauded Dr Sania Nishtar and the Ehsaas programme for reaching out and helping those in need.

Through the Ehsaas programme, Rs81 billion has been distributed among 6.8 million needy families, he added. He said that the distribution was fair and all provinces were getting what is required. “People in Sindh have received the most aid through this programme,” Khan added.

Meanwhile, the nationwide tally of Covid-19 cases stood at 16,329 on Thursday with 6,200 cases in Punjab,6,053 in Sindh, 2,313 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 1,031 in Balochistan, 333 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 313 in Islamabad and 66 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

KP extends holidays

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, meanwhile, extended public holidays in the province until May 9 in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

While most other restrictions previously announced would continue, milk and yoghurt shops were no longer required to close by 4pm, a notification said.

Balochistan cases cross 1000

Another 57 cases of the coronavirus have been reported in Balochistan, taking the total to 1,031, according to provincial government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani.

Speaking at a press conference, he said: “If people do not abide by the government’s SOPs and guidelines, we will be compelled to take stricter measures.” —

Number of cases in Pakistan

Patients have so far recovered