AGENCIES, Islamabad: With the third death reported from Pakistan’s biggest city Karachi, the capital of the Southern Sindh province that has reported the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday asked people to voluntarily self-quarantine themselves for at least another 45 days.
Khan doesn’t want an Italy-styled lockdown and has stated reasons for this too. “Our strategy is a little different from a complete lockdown, considering Pakistan’s socio-economic realities. Pakistan isn’t a rich country like Italy, where people can get through a sustained period without economic activity,” he was quoted as saying by the Express Tribune.
The total number of confirmed cases has risen to 481. The third victim was a 77-year-old man who was a cancer survivor, had other medical problems like hypertension and diabetes but didn’t have any travel or contact history.
Sindh health minister Azra Fazal Pechuho confirmed the latest number of infected cases in Sindh province which has touched 249 as on Friday.
Earlier two people died in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ares where the number of positive cases has increased to 23. At least 16 more cases were reported in Punjab where the tally stands at 96.
More cases have been reported from Balochistan where the number of infected has risen to 81. Another 21 were in Gilgit-Baltistan, 10 in Islamabad and one in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.