Pakistan's COVID-19 cases climb to 13,304

Pakistan's coronavirus cases jumped to 13,304 on Sunday, as a top medical body warned that mosques are becoming a major source of transmission for the novel coronavirus in the country and urged people to pray at home during Ramzan. According to the Ministry of National Health Services, at least 18 people have died in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll in the country to 272.

 

A total of 1,508 new cases were reported in one day, taking the total number of infections to 13,304, reports said. The number of those recovered also increased to 2,936, it said. Mosques are becoming a major source of virus transmission, Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) President Dr Iftikhar Burney has said. Around 6,000 cases for coronavirus surfaced in a month but the same has doubled



in the last six days, he said, warning that the infection would further go up in the coming months of May and June.

 

The Pakistan government early this month allowed conditional congregational prayers in mosques during Ramzan. In Sindh province, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah warned citizens that extraordinary measures will have to be taken to keep the pandemic under control in the province. Sindh is the only province in Pakistan which has not allowed  Friday prayers in mosques during Ramzan. 

Due to lack of observance of lockdown, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) criticised the partial lockdown policy and asked the government to either impose total lockdown or withdraw it.