Coronavirus not completely eradicated from Pakistan: Asad Umar
Asad Umar told that smart lockdown is still imposed in 20 districts.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar on Tuesday has said that the people have to follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) as coronavirus has not completely eradicated from the country.
Addressing a press conference, the minister said that the incumbent government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is not making any victory announcement on just reduction in the virus cases.
Government’s policies of contact tracing, smart lockdown and public awareness have contributed greatly to contain spread of the pandemic in a short period, he added.
Asad Umar told that the government enforced 2350 lockdowns across the country, and at present there are 85 smart lockdowns in twenty districts.
Government is now heading toward micro smart lockdown to target only the specific places affected by the pandemic, he went on to say.
The minister stated at present, there are over 7,000 coronavirus cases in the country, and the government is trying to arrange home isolation for them. Media has also run effective public awareness campaigns to deliver the messages to people about the contagion, he asserted.
Earlier today, the minister said Prime Minister Imran Khan’s policy of smart lockdown against the pandemic has remained successful.
He also urged the people to continue to adopt precautionary measures such as wearing masks, avoiding handshakes and washing hands frequently. He said the whole world including Pakistan is confronting economic crunch due to the coronavirus.
On the other hand, Pakistan has reported 15 deaths in last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 285,189. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 6,112.
According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) 531 persons have been tested positive for COVID-19 in 24 hours.
Sindh remains the worst-hit province by the pandemic in terms of cases followed by Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad.
Till now 124,127 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sindh, 94,586 in Punjab, 34,755 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 15,281 in Islamabad, 11,921 in Balochistan, 2,150 in Azad Kashmir and 2,371 in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Furthermore 2,282 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in Sindh, 2,174 in Punjab, 1,231 in KP, 138 in Balochistan, 171 in Islamabad, 57 in GB and 59 in Azad Kashmir.
Pakistan has so far conducted 2,165,811 coronavirus tests and 18,227 in last 24 hours. 261,246 coronavirus patients have recovered in the country whereas 780 patients are in critical condition.
