Pakistan bans inbound pedestrian movt from Afghanistan, Iran

Pakistan on Sunday banned inbound pedestrian movement from neighboring Iran and Afghanistan in a bid to contain the rising COVID-19 cases in the country.

This ban will be effective from midnight May 4-5 till midnight May 19-20, Geo News reported.

"The current policy of Land Border Management with Afghanistan and Iran has been reviewed to ensure regulated inbound pedestrian movement and effective management of COVID protocols at Border Terminals (BTS)," read the statement issued by Pakistan's National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).

Despite the ban on the inbound pedestrian movement, Pakistani nationals with emergency medical conditions will be allowed to enter the country from both states. Also, all outbound pedestrian movement will be permissible.

Pakistan's COVID-19 death toll crossed 18,000 as the virus claimed 113 more lives in the last 24 hours.

According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) data, 4,414 new infections were detected when 45,275 samples were tested during this period, reported ARY News.

The positivity rate in the country stands at 9.75 percent.

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

( With inputs from ANI )