Despite carrying out the highest number of tests of Covid-19 in Pakistan in one day, the positivity ratio continued to be stable at below 2 per cent. Out of a total of around 42,299 tests, only 799 came out positive. Significant build-up in Covid-19 testing is being done to carry out sentinel testing at educational institutions in order to identify early trends, if any.
Any product imported into Pakistan through postal or air courier services with a declared value up to Rs. 5,000 will be exempt from customs duty or any other types of taxes. An FBR official explained that this move has been taken as a relief for the end-users, most likely to be private individuals as opposed to corporate importers.
Pakistan has reported more than 700 coronavirus cases for the first time in more than a month. 722 cases were reported in the country on September 17. of which 95 were reported in Punjab, 307 in Sindh, 57 in KP, 193 in Balochistan, 10 in AJK, 39 in GB and 21 were reported in Islamabad. The last time the country recorded more than 700 cases was on August 12 when 711 cases were reported over 24 hours.
Thirteen educational institutions were closed down across the country in the last 24 hours for disregarding health guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs) laid down by the government. According to a statement by the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC), 10 educational institutions were shut down in Khyber Pakhutnkhwa while three were closed in Sindh for “non-compliance of health guidelines and protocols and disease prevalence”.
Following the Punjab police’s request to prevent the prime suspect of the motorway gang-rape from leaving the country, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has placed his name on its ‘black list’ and alerted the law enforcement authorities about it at all checkpoints across the country. Abid Malhi, the main accused is still at large, while Punjab Police struggles to trace
The National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) said that 22 educational institutions across the country were closed down during the last 48 hours for failing to comply with standard operating procedures (SOPs) for curbing the spread of Covid-19. According to the statement, 16 of these educational institutions were in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, one in Islamabad and five in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said Pakistan was among countries from whom the international community should learn how to deal with Covid-19 pandemic. WHO Director General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a media briefing said Pakistan deployed the infrastructure built up over many years for polio to combat Covid-19. Tedros named Pakistan among seven other countries as examples for international community to follow.
Police has arrested 12 men suspected of involvement in the alleged gang-rape of a woman on the Lahore-Sialkot motorway, announced Punjab government spokesperson Mussarat Cheema. Two “robbers” allegedly raped the woman at gunpoint in Gujjarpura area on Wednesday while she was waiting for help on the motorway after her car developed a fault.
The cabinet has allowed the maritime ministry to launch a ferry service for passengers travelling to and from all possible destinations across the world. announced Maritime Affairs Minister Ali Zaidi. Zaidi said the ferry service would operate like the Pakistan International Airlines. There would be a port security force similar to the airport security force, he added.
A recent study has revealed that nine out of 10 Covid-19 patients in Karachi were asymptomatic, meaning only one in 10 show symptoms of the deadly pandemic. The study conducted by Aga Khan University researchers suggested hospitals in Pakistan did not face the same strain as hospitals in Spain and United Kingdom because most patients did not experience any symptoms and did not require treatment.