Pakistan extends COVID-19 restrictions for 3 weeks

KARACHI, Pakistan

Pakistan on Monday announced a three-week extension of the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions in order to stem the rising number of cases in the country.

"The government has decided to continue the current restrictions until April 11," Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar said.

The decision to extend the restrictions was taken at a meeting of the National Command and Operation Center, a government agency that deals with anti-virus strategy, presided over by Umar in capital Islamabad, according to a statement.

The meeting, it said, expressed "grave" concern over the country’s current COVID-19 situation and unanimously agreed to implement "high impact intervention" in cities with positivity greater than 8% to contain the disease spread.

The restrictions include "broader lockdowns" with no mobility allowed except for emergencies.

Indoor dining of any kind will continue to be prohibited. Outdoor dining will, however, be allowed until 10:00 p.m. local time (1700GMT). All commercial activities will be closed by 8:00 pm local time (1500GMT). In addition, non-essential commercial activities are closed for two days each week.

Other restrictions include, ban on indoor gatherings, sports events and festivals, and closure of cinemas, shrines and amusement parks.

However, outdoor gatherings of up to 300 persons, will be allowed.

Moreover, the 50% work-from-home policy will be maintained, with intercity public transportation and rail service operating at 50% and 70% capacity, respectively.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Pakistan has risen to 630,471 with 13,863 deaths and 583,538 recoveries, according to the Health Ministry statistics.