–25 more die of Covid-19, 1,436 fresh cases surface
–NCOC issues new SOPs for wedding ceremonies
ISLAMABAD: 25 more coronavirus-related fatalities were reported in the country during the past 24 hours, taking the death toll from the disease to 6,968, according to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).
The NCOC said that 1,436 fresh infections emerged during this period, lifting the national tally of cases to 343,189. Around 32,350 samples were tested during the last 24 hours.
There are a total of 17,804 active cases of the coronavirus as 318,417 patients have so far recuperated from the disease.
So far, Sindh has reported 149,542 cases, followed by Punjab reporting 106,577 cases while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) reported 40,397, Balochistan 16,055, Islamabad 21,557, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) 4,358 and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) has reported 4,703 cases.
A total of 669 of the patients under treatment in hospitals across the country are said to be in critical condition.
In Punjab, as many as 369 new cases of the coronavirus surfaced during the past 24 hours, pushing the provincial tally of infections to 165,077. According to a spokesperson for the Primary and Secondary Health Department, eight more people succumbed to the highly contagious infections, lifting the total number of people dying from the disease in the province to 2,407.
Of the total fresh infections, 154 surfaced in the Punjab capital, 54 in Multan, 24 in Rawalpindi, and 14 in Dera Ghazi Khan. The number of people recovering from the infection has reached 97,614.
In Balochistan, the health officials have announced 14 more cases of Covid-19 in the province in the last 24 hours. Total count of coronavirus cases in the province has reached 16,055 after detection of 14 new cases in Balochistan, a spokesperson of the provincial health department said in a statement.
Three more patients recovered, leaving 218 active cases in Balochistan, the spokesperson said. The provincial health department said that 98 percent coronavirus patients have recovered in Balochistan.
The death toll by Covid-19 in Balochistan has been 154, according to the health department report. The death rate by the disease remained at one percent of the total cases, the officials said.
The health department has reported overall 759 infections of coronavirus in provincial educational institutions.
Meanwhile, in a bid to stem the spread of Covid-19, the NCOC issued new standard operating procedures for marriage ceremonies.
According to the NCOC, the wedding events amid the second wave of Covid-19 should be organised while taking care of the precautions and SOPs pertaining to gatherings to minimise the chances of spread.
Only outdoor wedding events are allowed, in which the number of the guests must not exceed 1,000 individuals with mandatory arrangements for seating of each individual at-least six feet apart, read the statement.
It said that the event timing should be restricted to two hours with closure evening timing at 10 pm. All guests should wear a face mask and the event authorities should keep a check over it.
The event can only be carried out in open space, and if tents are used, they should have the mandatory provision of space between the walls and roof of the tent to ensure ventilation.
The NCOC said that each marriage event is mandatorily required to display the seating/gathering capacity of their venues at their entrance/reception as well as for district administration to monitor adherence.
It further said that buffet dinner or lunch will not be allowed on the events. Only lunch box or table services will be allowed.
