Virus surge: Section 144 imposed in Quetta, Peshawar

QUETTA:

The concerned authorities on Monday have imposed section 144 in Quetta and Peshawar in the wake of increasing cases of coronavirus.

As per the notification issued by the Balochistan Home and Tribal Affairs Department, the district government has banned the gathering of five or more people across the province.

It has been made mandatory to wear a safety mask in Peshawar,. Additional Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ashfaq Khan said that people are prohibited to go out of the house in Peshawar without wearing a safety mask. He appealed to the people to ensure the use of safety masks when leaving their homes.

Read: Punjab, K-P to expand Covid curbs as third wave aggravates

The local health department has directed to strictly follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs) designated to control the pandemic of coronavirus. The law enforcement agencies have also been informed about the directives.

On the other hand, Pakistan has reported 41 deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 659,116. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 14,256.

According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), 4,525 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Punjab remains the worst-hit province in terms of deaths followed by Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Till now 6,229 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in Punjab 4,491 in Sindh, 2,283 in KP, 559 in Islamabad, 344 in Azad Kashmir, 206 in Balochistan, and 103 in GB.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30^th, 2021.