ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday said that he feared the onset of winter could lead to a second wave of the deadly coronavirus outbreak, warning people to use face masks in public to avoid a spike in infections.
“Compared to some other states, Allah has been kind to us in Pak & spared us worst effects of COVID-19. There is a fear onset of winter could result in 2nd wave,” PM Khan said on Twitter, urging all workplaces and educational institutions to “ensure masks are worn.”
Compared to some other states, Allah has been kind to us in Pak & spared us worst effects of COVID-19. There is a fear onset of winter could result in 2nd wave. I urge everyone to wear face masks in public to avoid a spike. All offices & ed institutions must ensure masks are worn
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) October 4, 2020
Earlier on Friday, Planning Minister Asad Umar said that indoor restaurants and marriage halls were emerging as super-spreaders of the virus.
“NCOC [National Command and Operation Center] today [Friday] has directed all provinces and federating units to crack down on SOP violations in these places. We must not allow irresponsible behavior of some to put the health of everyone at risk,” he said in a tweet.
Later in the day, authorities sealed off restaurants, schools, and wedding halls, and imposed smart lockdowns to limit the spread of the disease across the country.
According to the Health Ministry’s COVID-19 portal, nearly 314,616 people have tested positive for the disease cases with 6,513 deaths reported thus far.
Six people died across the country in the past 24 hours, while a majority of the new cases and a third of the country’s total number of infections were reported from Sindh province.
Earlier, Pakistan had said it would allow a “phased” reopening of all educational institutions from Sept. 15, starting with universities, while primary schools would resume operations from Sept. 30.
It follows the closure of all schools and colleges in March as part of a nationwide lockdown.
Authorities, however, began lifting the restrictions in May and finally allowed businesses and the tourism sector to reopen last month.
At the same time, Pakistan also started phase 3 of a clinical trial for a potential COVID-19 vaccine developed by China’s CanSino Biologics.