Pakistan: New restrictions to be imposed in major cities as more cases surge

On Monday, Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives announced some new restrictions in major cities of Pakistan in view of the rising number of coronavirus cases in the country.

Holding a press conference in Islamabad alongside Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health, the minister said that all the decisions were taken after the approval of the Prime Minister.

The minister said that the new coronavirus restrictions will come into effect from Aug 3 and will remain in place until Aug 31. 

In Punjab, restrictions will be imposed in Rawalpindi, Lahore, Faisalabad, and Multan; in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Peshawar and Abbottabad will have the new restrictions. 

In Azad Jammu and Kashmir, restrictions will be imposed in Muzaffarabad and Mirpur, while in Gilgit-Baltistan, the new rules will apply to Gilgit and Skardu.

As for Sindh, Lockdowns are already in place in Karachi and Hyderabad, but after August 8, the NCOC's new curbs will also apply, the minister said.