LAHORE: Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar has stated that no one died due to coronavirus during the last 24 hours in Punjab; while 172 new cases have been detected.

The Chief Minister in a statement on Monday said the number of active cases is 8,697 while 81,260 have been recovered. Similarly 699,636 have been tested. The government's initiatives have helped in overcoming the virus and cooperation extended by people also yielded positive results, he added.

He maintained that observance of SOPs is imperative on Eid-ul-Azha and its implementation is being ensured in cattle markets. Any violation of SOPs will not be tolerated in public transport because less socialisation helps in overcoming the spread of this virus, he added. The smart lockdown policy has proved successful in overcoming the spread of coronavirus and the world has also acknowledged the steps taken by the Pakistani government. The smart lockdown has yielded the best results. The number of patients has been sufficiently decreased in hospitals.

He emphasized that people should celebrate Eid-ul-Azha with simplicity and follow SOPs on this blessed occasion.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020