Smart lockdown imposed in three areas of Karachi as COVID-19 cases rise

In view of the incessant surge in daily COVID-19 cases, authorities in Pakistan's Karachi have announced the extension of smart lockdowns in three localities till May 5.

Citing a notification by the Sindh home department, Geo News reported that three localities of Karachi's District Central were put under a "smart" lockdown on Wednesday evening.

According to the notification, the areas to go into lockdown are Gulberg, North Karachi and North Nazimabad.

The move follows a warning by Sindh health minister, Dr Azra Pechuho, who in a video message said that the UK coronavirus variant has arrived in Karachi and was found in 50 per cent of the samples that underwent genome testing, Geo News reported.

Dr Pechuho said that the UK coronavirus variant "spreads very fast" and after having already spread in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, leading to the deaths and infections of numerous people, it has now reached Karachi.

The country has so far reported at least 772,381 COVID-19 cases and 16,600 related deaths.

( With inputs from ANI )