ISLAMABAD: The number of coronavirus cases has been rising across the country as 908 new infections of the deadly disease emerged over the past 24 hours.
According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), sixteen people succumbed to the infection during the past 24 hours pushing the death toll to 6,775. He said the total number of confirmed patients of COVID-19 has risen to 331,108.
As many as 29,449 samples were tested for the coronavirus in the past. There are a total of 11,695 active cases of Covid-19 as 312,638 out of the total confirmed patients have recovered. 624 of the patients under treatment in hospitals across the country in critical condition.
Sindh has reported 144,765 cases, followed by Punjab which has 103,587 cases while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported 39,277, Balochistan 15,876, Islamabad 19,454, while Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Kashmir reported 3,938 and 4,211 respectively.
READ MORE: Face masks made mandatory in public places, offices
The National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) made it mandatory to wear face masks in crowded public places. The NCOC ordered all shopping malls, restaurants, shops and marriage halls to shut by 10PM and also ordered to shut public parks and recreational spots by 6PM.
The national body has made it mandatory to wear face masks in public places including bazaars, shopping malls, restaurants and while using public transport. In addition, face masks must be worn in all government and private sector offices.
The centre noted that the spread of the virus and the increased positivity ratio is 80 percent in 11 major cities of Pakistan. The meeting was informed that 4,374 lockdowns have been imposed in eleven cities including Karachi, Quetta, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan, Peshawar, Islamabad, Hyderabad, Mirpur, Gilgit and Muzaffarabad.
The provinces have been directed by the NCOC for adopting strict measures for ensuring the usage of face masks by its citizens in view of the rising cases of coronavirus pandemic.
