Balochsitan Awami Party (BAP) led government issued a notification, saying: “Lockdown will remain in force from May 19 to June 2 across the province.” It said the decision had been taken in view of the rising number of locally transmitted Covid-19 cases in the province.
“Disease may cause devastating consequences, illness and deaths. It is mandatory to take all pragmatic and possible measures to contain and counter the further spread of coronavirus on a war footing,” the notification added.
It said that all public gatherings, inter-city and inter-province travel and religious congregations would remain banned and strict action would be taken against those who violated the standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the government.
The Balochistan government has so far not allowed resumption of public transport in the province and expressed serious reservations over the federal government’s decision to resume transport and train services.
The deadly coronavirus has claimed 969 lives in Pakistan, while 13,101 patients have recovered successfully and have been discharged from the hospitals.
The national tally of coronavirus confirmed cases has risen to 45,189, with the provincial governments of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan confirming 15,976, 17,947, 6,554, 2,885 cases respectively. Meanwhile, 556 cases in Gilgit-Baltistan, 1,138 in Islamabad, and 133 in Kashmir have been reported to date.