LIVE: PM stresses need for 'smart lockdown' as national Covid-19 tally surpasses 11,000

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Authorities in Sindh reported 289 new cases in the province, raising the provincial tally to 3,671. The nationwide tally stands at 10,822.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said four more persons succumbed to the virus as the province's death toll reached 73.

Pakistan National Human Development Report (NHDR) said 46 per cent of the country's population does not have access to water and soap at home.

Adviser to Sindh chief minister Murtaza Wahab said 237 people from Gilgit-Baltistan tested negative in Karachi and are being sent back home.

237 people from Gilgit Baltistan have Alhamdolillah tested negative in Kaaachi & they are being sent to Gilgit Baltistan with lab reports of negative. https://t.co/nJPRNcMvSY

Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal said testing in wards and on the streets of Quetta has started.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Health Minister Taimur Khan Jhagra said the province's testing capacity is rapidly increasing, doubling from four days earlier.

He said 91 per cent of tests have been paid by the government and 9 per cent by the private sector.

K-P has conducted a total of 11,963 tests, he added.

1. KP rapidly increasing testing capacity. Record 1126 tests yesterday, doubling from just 4 days ago.

For transparency:
809 (KMU lab - a new record)
79 (NIH)
131 (other KP public sector labs)
107 (pvt sector tests, self paid)

Totals
91% - govt paid

Khyber Deputy Commissioner Mahmood Aslam Wazir reported 21 more coronavirus cases in the district, raising the tally to 86.

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar met Vice-Chancellor of Punjab University Dr Niaz Ahmed in Lahore today.

The vice-chancellor handed over a cheque for the chief minister's coronavirus relief fund from faculty and staff of the university.

CM Buzdar appreciated the selfless spirit of teachers and staff of the university.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the government is taking necessary steps to repatriate stranded Pakistanis in the Gulf.

He said screening is being done at airports and isolation centres have also been expanded.

Qureshi said the opening of remaining airports allows over 6,000 to 7,000 Pakistanis to return home every week.

Furthermore, the foreign minister said the pandemic will also increase pressure on Pakistan's economy as it has brought economic activity to a standstill and reduced the country's exports.

Pakistan's testing capacity has also increased. Earlier, 3,000 tests were conducted but the testing capacity will reach 20,000 to 30,000 by May.

The interior ministry has sent special letters to all chief secretaries of all provinces and chief commissioner Islamabad to direct concerned authorities to ensure the return of stranded pilgrims and Tablighi Ijtima workers.

The letter asked authorities to follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) while ensuring that the Tablighi Jamaat members returned home before Ramazan.

The letter further warned of strict action for any negligence.

Adviser to Sindh chief minister Murtaza Wahab said the provincial government has established a coronavirus laboratory at the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Research, Karachi University.

He said it has become functional from today and will be able to conduct at least 800 tests per day.

 

 

Special Assistant to PM on Poverty Alleviation Dr Sania Nishtar said the 'Ehsaas Saylani Langar on Wheels' has begun delivering food aid to quarantine centres in Lahore.

 

According to the National Command and Operation Centre, the number of local transmissions have risen sharply.

As many as 79% of the cases being reported are of local transmission and only 21% of the patients have a travel history.

8:45 am: Death toll rises to 224

With 15 deaths reported in the past 24 hours, the COVID-19 death toll across the country reached 224.

The nationwide tally of confirmed cases hit 10,513 with 742 being reported on the previous day.  

The Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet on Wednesday approved the disbursement of Rs75 billion among 6.2 million daily-wage earners.

This amount will be released from PMÔÇÖs Relief Package of Rs200 billion, according to the finance ministry.

Each deserving person will receive Rs12,000 per person in compensation ÔÇö 31.4% or Rs5,500 less than the minimum per month wage for a labourer.

Read story here.

The Sindh Traders Union, All City Traders Union, Electronics Dealers Associations and other tradersÔÇÖ bodies have announced that they will resume business from the onset of Ramazan.

Traders expressed dismay over not being allowed to resume business despite giving the Sindh government assurances that they would abide by all standard operating procedures (SOPs) devised by it.

They complained that the government had committed to framing the SOPs for traders by Wednesday but seeing no development in that regard, the traders said they had decided not to wait any further for the authorities to frame the guidelines. They added that they would now not meet any government delegations and were fixed on resuming businesses from the first of Ramazan.

Read story here.

The Punjab cabinet may permit the reopening of businesses tagged with necessary precautions.

Punjab Minister for Industries Mian Aslam Iqbal said that soon the provincial government will review the situation and gradually allow businesses to restart operations.

FCCI President Rana Sikandar Azam Khan told the minister that the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector had successfully absorbed the first phase of coronavirus lockdown, however, its extension complicated and multiplied the economic and social problems.