COVID-19 death toll crosses 23,000 mark

ISLAMABAD: Forty-five more people lost their lives to the novel coronavirus in the last 24 hours, taking the nationwide death toll above the grave mark of 23,000, figures issued by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) showed on Sunday.
According to the NCOC, 44,579 coronavirus tests were conducted across the country in the last 24 hours, out of which 2,819 turned out to be positive. The coronavirus positivity ratio stands at 6.3 percent.
On the other hand, with 45 new deaths, the nationwide death toll reached 23,016. The total number of recovered patients in the country stands at 925,958 and the number of active cases is at 55,720.
Meanwhile, three more patients succumbed to coronavirus in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 4,420. According to health officials, 298 cases emerged in the province as the tally jumped to 141,925. They further said that 231 patients recovered overnight, taking the total to 134,962.
Meanwhile, the deputy commissioner of Balochistan’s Kech ordered a 15-day lockdown in the district in view of the rising cases.
According to the directives, all shops and markets will remain closed, except for vegetable, fruit, poultry, grocery stores and medical services. All parks, private schools, language and tuition centres will also remain closed during the said period. The orders further stated that hotels and restaurants shall remain closed, with the exception for the takeaways.
According to the directives, inter-provincial bus services will be suspended, but transporters will be allowed to resume operation if the passengers are vaccinated and SOPs are implemented. The general public and government officers were told to get vaccinated, saying a failure to do so would result in restriction to enter offices, banks and other public places.
The order urged the notable figures of the society to play their role in urging people to get vaccinated and adhere to the SOPs.
On the other hand, Sindh is set to reimpose Covid-19 restrictions today (Monday) amid a spike in cases. The Sindh government has announced it is reimposing the coronavirus restrictions in the province starting Monday after the positivity ratio in the province crossed 10%.
The decision came during a meeting of the Provincial Coronavirus Task Force chaired by Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.
According to a notification issued by the home department, general businesses, shopping malls, shops, and department stores will only be allowed to operate from 6am to 6pm. Stand-alone grocery stores, milk shops, bakeries, fruit/vegetable vendors and pharmacies, however, are exempt from this rule.
The provincial government has placed a “complete ban” on all functions and gatherings, including wedding and related functions, whether held indoors or outdoors.
The authorities have also banned indoor and outdoor dining at restaurants, which will only be allowed to offer takeaway till 10pm and delivery services till midnight. – TLTP