–Lahore admin seals off Sikandaria Colony as national tally reaches 4,700
LAHORE: The Punjab government has approached the federal government seeking a week-long extension in the lockdown after it sealed off a colony in the provincial capital due to a spike of coronavirus cases in the locality.
The number of cases in the country stood at 4,688 by Friday evening, with 68 deaths recorded so far. In Punjab, the cases have reached 2,280, in Sindh 1,214, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 630, Balochistan 218, Islamabad 107, Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Kashmir has a total of 248 cases.
The decision to extend lockdown in the province was taken after a nine-member family was diagnosed with the virus in Sikandria Colony. The infected were shifted to Expo Quarantine Center for medical treatment.
The Sindh government was also mulling an extension in the lockdown despite calls for the provincial government to resume economic activities.
In a conversation with journalists on Thursday, Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah had said that he wanted all the provinces in the country to take unified steps regarding the lockdown. “The Sindh cabinet will take the final decision about the lockdown,” he was quoted as saying. “We are preparing SOPs for everything including industries and factories,” he added.
“If the federal government extends the lockdown for an additional week, the situation can be brought under control,” he had said.
