In yet another desperate attempt to stem the rising number of coronavirus cases in the country, the Sindh government is preparing to impose a complete lockdown in the province on Friday from 12 noon to 3pm.
According to sources, the provincial government has decided to impose complete lockdown on Friday from 12 noon to 3pm, while the decision has also been taken to limit large gatherings during Friday prayers.
The Pakistan Peoples’ Party-led (PPP) provincial government, in consultation with Ulemas, decided to impose a complete lockdown in a bid to limit people from gathering in mosques in large numbers. All shops and business centres will also remain closed during the lockdown. The government has also decided to take strict action against those violating the law.
On March 22, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah imposed a lockdown throughout the province for 15 days in order to control the spread of coronavirus. Sindh has the largest number of coronavirus cases in the country, with 676 confirmed. Pakistan’s tally is currently 2039 with 26 deaths. The Sindh CM, in order to stop the spread of coronavirus by limiting social contact, had taken the drastic decision under which all restaurants, shopping malls, food streets, sea-view parks and government offices, except those offering essential services, had been closed for 15 days all over the province.
The restaurants across the city had been allowed to offer home delivery service, while all schools, colleges, and universities across the province had already been closed through May 31.
The novel coronavirus emerged in Wuhan, China last December, and has spread to at least 203 countries and territories. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic.
Out of more than 874,615 confirmed cases, the death toll now exceeds 43,430 and over 184,952 have recovered, according to data compiled by the US-based Johns Hopkins University. Despite the rising number of cases, most people who contract the virus suffer only mild symptoms before making a recovery.
