Punjab to seal 33 more localities as Covid-19 cases soar

–Nearly 1.7m people would be placed under smart lockdown in Lahore

–Federal govt considering reopening universities from July 15

ISLAMABAD: The Punjab government has decided to seal 33 more localities across the province and impose smart lockdown in eight more areas of Lahore to halt the rapid rise in coronavirus cases as 3,892 new coronavirus cases surfaced in the country within 24 hours, taking the total tally to 188,926.

Gulberg, DHA among 8 neighbourhoods to be sealed in Lahore

According to National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), there are 69,536 coronavirus cases in Punjab, 72,656 in Sindh, 23,388 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 9,634 in Balochistan, 1,1483 in Islamabad, 1,337 in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and 892 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

The death toll from the virus stands at 3,755 with 60 deaths reported over the last 24 hours. 23,380 Covid-19 tests were carried out during this period. 77,754 patients have so far recovered from the disease.

Chief Secretary Punjab Jawad Rafique Malik has approved the strict implementation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) in the province to curb coronavirus spread and said that action will be taken against those who violate SOPs.

In view of the slide in the number of Covid-19 cases and death rate, the selected lockdown has been extended to 33 more areas of the province.