BreakingNews

LAHORE: A sharp increase in confirmed Covid-19 cases across Punjab has further burdened state-run health facilities, taking their bed occupancy ratio to 54 per cent. The rate increased during the last two weeks or so due to widespread transmission of the virus. Official figures reported by the health department portray a grim picture as 3,693 people contracted the virus during …

KARACHI: Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday said that the Sindh government had implemented almost all decisions the federal government had taken regarding its nationwide lockdown imposed to slow down the spread of coronavirus in the county. Speaking at a press conference at the Sindh Assembly Building and in a statement issued from the CM House later in …

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister and senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will appear on Saturday (today) before the commission of inquiry investigating the recent shortage and price hike of sugar in the country. Mr Abbasi told Dawn on Friday he would inform the commission how sugar scandals develop, in the light of his experience as …

The government of Pakistan has decided to bring back via special flights its students stuck in Wuhan, China, ground zero of the novel coronavirus. Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis Zulfiqar Bukhari tweeted the development on Friday night, referring to those stranded there as “the bravest soldiers”. Sayed Z Bukhari ✔@sayedzbukhari I’m very happy for the 1st flight …

RAWALPINDI: The government is arranging chartered flig­hts for repatriation of Pakistanis stranded in the United States in collaboration with the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). A spokesman for the PIA said that initially two special flights would be operated from Washington — the first one to Islamabad on May 10 and the second to Karachi on May 13. Another flight would …

RAWALPINDI: As the government is inching towards easing the lockdown, the suspension of domestic flight operation was further extended up to May 10. The international and domestic flights had been suspended till April 30 in order to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The suspension of domestic flights was further extended till May 7. However, chartered and cargo flights continued …

LAHORE: The health department has traced 1,500 “hidden confirmed cases” of Covid-19 patients who were in close contact with the Pakistani citizens returning from abroad. Most of these cases were traced in the provincial capital, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Multan, besides a few from Faisalabad. The teams working under the Central Contact Tracing (CCT) unit of the primary and secondary …

• Almost 1,300 virus cases with 48 deaths reported in a single day • Construction-related industries, shopping centres to open for five days a week ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday announced lifting of the countrywide lockdown in phases from Saturday by reopening all construction-related industries and shopping centres for five days a week from Fajr [early morning] till 5pm …

ISLAMABAD: The National Coordination Com­mittee (NCC) on Thursday extended closure of educational institutions in the country till July 15 and decided to cancel examinations to be conducted by the boards in the wake of coronavirus pandemic. After the NCC meeting, Federal Education Minister Shahfqat Mahmood said the committee had approved closure of all educational institutions, from schools to universities, till …

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has recorded 25 per cent recovery rate of Covid-19 patients amid calls by public health experts for early action, isolation of confirmed cases, lockdown, travel restrictions, massive testing and provision of face mask to everyone to stem tide of the virus in the coming days. “Implementations of these best practices differentiate one country from other in terms …