COVID-19: Lahore to undergo complete lockdown on Saturdays, Sundays

In an attempt the curb the rapidly escalating COVID-19 situation, authorities in Lahore have decided to impose a complete lockdown on Saturdays and Sundays in the city.

The announcement was made by Commissioner Lahore Division Muhammad Usman on Friday, who said that part of the complete lockdown entailed that businesses and markets across the city will remain closed, Geo News reported.

He said that the step is being taken to save lives as COVID-19 cases continue to surge across the country and the Punjab province. He also clarified that medical stores, petrol pumps and vaccination centres will remain open during the weekends.

"I would request citizens to buy items of necessary use today," he said.

Meanwhile, the Punjab Cabinet under Chief Minister Usman Buzdar expressed concern over the rising COVID-19 infections and presented a consensus proposal to enforce a complete lockdown before Eid in Lahore and other cities with more infections, reported Geo News.

A special cabinet committee will finalise recommendations after reviewing the proposal of complete lockdown to submit the same to NCOC.

The meeting discussed that the positive cases' ratio is more than 8 per cent in 23 districts and the number of patients has been tremendously increased in areas including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad and more.

Pakistan's COVID-19 positivity ratio jumped to 10.41 per cent after it recorded 5,112 new positive cases and 131 deaths in the last 24 hours, reported ARY News citing National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) data.

Lahore reported 1,086 while 30 more people succumbed to the disease in the provincial capital, according to the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department.

The country has a total of 8,20,823 infections and 17,811 deaths.

( With inputs from ANI )