Pakistan's COVID-19 count crosses 13K-mark on second day of Ramzan, 700 new cases reported

On the second day of Ramazan, Pakistan's Coronavirus count soared high with as many as 700 new cases and around 12 deaths. In the last 24 hours, the total number of cases have reached to 13,318 with over 280 virus-related deaths. While Punjab is leading the tally with 5,446 cases, Sindh has recorded 4,615 cases so far. Meanwhile, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has 1,864 cases and Balochistan's count is 781.

Reportedly, the business community in Karachi has threatened to ignore the government orders and open their shops. Along with it, the religious clerics are also leading their prayers in Mosques as normal. Hundreds of violators were reportedly arrested in Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Islamabad and other cities on the first day of the month of Ramazan for violating the guidelines. 

Read: Pakistan denies preparing COVID-19 vaccine with China, as cases cross 12,000

Pak govt authorises Army

If the business community and religious clerics refuse to obey the COVID-19 lockdown guidelines, the Pakistan government has authorised the Army to take over as enforcer. According to reports, the Imran Khan-led government has stated that police, rangers and even troops can be used to maintain law and order if the business community and religious clerics attempt to cross their limit and violate the lockdown instructions.

Read: Imran Khan hides; asks Pakistan Army to be bad-guy if business & clerics disobey lockdown

WHO's warning to Pak

On Thursday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom had warned that if Pakistan does not take sufficient preventive measures, the number of Coronavirus cases in the country can surge to 200,000 by mid-July. He had said, "Pakistan's COVID-19 response plan is a joint strategy of the Government of Pakistan, the UN and partners. It is aligned with the Global Goals of UN, Pakistan's National Action Plan and WHO's global Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan."

Read: Kapil Dev slams Pakistan amid COVID-19, tells 'stop activities at border, build hospitals'

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(With ANI Inputs)