Following the continuous rise in coronavirus cases, the government of Punjab has imposed a smart lockdown in four more cities of the province.

On Thursday, 591 more people tested positive for the virus in the province, while 15 people lost their lives to the novel virus. Punjab has so far reported 155,805 cases and 4,661 deaths.

The district administration has decided to impose a smart lockdown in 16 areas of Lahore, three in Hafizabad, and one in Gujrat and Gujranwala respectively. Township Sector A, Johar Town, Askari 10, Karim Block Iqbal Town, Faiz Road Muslim Town, Raza Block Iqbal Town, Shadman and DHA Phase I are the areas which have been sealed for two weeks, DAWN reported.

During the lockdown, entry and exit points of the areas have been sealed while people have been advised not to leave their houses without face masks.

Meanwhile, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has said that the vaccination of frontline health workers will start next week. "The system for vaccination is in place. Hundreds of vaccination centres in the country will be administering covid vaccine,” Planning Minister Asad Umar said in a tweet.